Darkness Before Dawn: Midnight Hour
by SoloWing
Summary: Maylu and Roll come out of retirement to save a local hospital from bankruptcy. But now, they must face their greatest opponent ever... Complete!
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: I don't own you don't sue._

_Whew, I just set a personal record for creating a fic, and considering my schedule, that's amazing. And I don't care if it's in character or not, Chaud's NOT going to be a major jerk in this fic._

_Anyways, this is the much sought after (yeah right) sequel to Darkness Before Dawn, and while it isn't necessary for you to read that story, it will explain a lot of what's happening, because I'm not going to back up and explain things again._

_So get ready, more Roll action, more Style Changes, more Unisons, more Competition, and more Proto-Man hair jokes coming your way! (Sorry S. Rain)_

Begin Chapter.

"So, Roll, is there anything in the E-mail, preferably nothing Spam?" I asked as I exited my room.

"Two more invitations to a new Netbattling tournament, and a Netnews News flash."

"Another invitation?" I spoke into the black world, "why are they after me so much?"

"Well, we did win the Tag Team Tournament, with Lan and Mega-Man." My pink friend replied. "And-"

"Because I'm the first blind Netbattler to enter and win championship competition, everyone thinks I'm a celebrity of some kind." I finished for her.

"You read my mind." I could hear the grin in her voice. "So I'll just junk these. The Netnews isn't that much better, a new virus, strategies, etc. Oh my..."

"What? What's wrong?" I felt my walking stick make contact with something, a chair if I remembered correctly, so I maneuvered around it. "Roll?"

"The Youth Hospital's in serious financial trouble." The Navi answered me. "Evidently, their former executive embezzled most of their funds, and then took off. They aren't sure if they're going to find him."

"That's terrible!" I stopped short. "Are they going to be alright?"

"I don't know..." Roll's voice was distant, like she was still processing the information, "A lot of their money's missing, and according to this, most of their bills haven't been paid in quite a while... they're really in the hole, it's a real mess. That's one of the problems with everything being so digital, there's little or no paper trail, so it takes much longer for everyone to catch on."

"There must be something we can do." I thought over my options, which were slim to none. "That place gave us so much help right after I went blind, much more than ACDC Community."

"I know, we just have to think of something." My friend commented, "What could we do? It's not like we can make enough Zen busting viruses, it would take years to get enough cash that way."

"That's it!" Roll's statement gave me a thread of inspiration. "Quick, retrieve those E-mails! Check them to see if anyone of them is giving away Zenny as a first place prize."

"There's... one giving away a fifty thousand Zenny prize." The pink Navi's voice said, "plus a Level Five Rarity Hero Sword chip."

"Higsby'd give his right arm for one of those." I agreed, "What about that other one? Is it any good?"

"I don't think so..." Roll replied, "It's just a rare chip for first place. The other one's a much better goal to shoot for, it's called the 'Battle Expo'."

"Alright then," I started walking again, "I know fifty thousand and what we can get for the chip won't be a enough, but it'll be a start."

"Right," Roll agreed, "Let's go win this tournament, for the Youth Hospital!"

After getting my parents clearance, fortunately they understood my desire to help; me and Roll headed across town to register for the Battle Expo.

Going outside and moving down busy streets just didn't scare me that much anymore, I had Roll to tell me where the obstacles where, and what color the street lights were showing. So between her and my cane, I didn't have that much trouble moving through town.

Or at least I shouldn't have.

I had only gone about a mile, when I felt someone snatch the cane from my hands. That could only mean trouble.

"Hey!" I put up a front, "Give that back!"

"Oh, don't play with us, missy." A deep voice replied. "We know that you're blind, and helpless."

'Helpless?' Where had they guy been for the past month? If he thought I was helpless, then he had another thing coming to him. I played for time as I tried to home in on his position. "Just give me my cane back, and I'll be on my way."

"Maylu," Roll whispered, "there's three of them."

"Not likely." Deep Voice didn't seem to hear my Navi. "First off, we want all the cash you've got. Including the digital kind in the P-E-T."

'Keep talking' I begged silently, I just needed a few more sentences and then I'd have it.

"And if I don't?"

"You'll regret it." Deep Voice stated.

I had him. Without warning whatsoever, I sent my palm through the air, toward the place that Deep Voice just had to be occupying. I connected with him.

"Hey!" Deep Voice roared in shock from my slap in his face.

I didn't give them an instant to recover; I just bolted past the guy and took off down the street. I heard footsteps behind me, evidently they weren't going to give up that easily.

"Maylu, wait!" Roll screamed, "We're approaching an intersection, and the lights against us!"

"What?" I slid to a stop, now I was trapped between rushing traffic and three street thugs. Not the best place in the world.

"Now you'll pay for that." Deep Voice said.

"I don't intend to." I kept bluffing, I had caught them off guard before, but now they'd be more wary of me. "Why don't you quit while you're ahead?"

"Just give us your cash!" A new voice snapped.

"Is there a problem?" A completely different voice came through the air, this one I recognized.

"Blazes!" Deep Voice shouted in disbelief.

"No, it's Blaze." Chaud muttered, "I don't think you'd care to mess with me, do you?"

Silence.

"It's all just a little joke." Deep Voice's entire tune changed, "Just a little, uh, prank, here, you can have her stick, we're beating it."

I heard their footsteps fade away as they beat a retreat. That had been too close, way to close, but it was strange since Dan Tech didn't have that high of a crime rate. It was basically just the WWW we had to watch out for, but I guess a robbery wouldn't be that unusual.

"I'm impressed." The Op interrupted my thoughts, "If that light hadn't been red, I think you'd have gotten away."

"Uh, thanks." I was a little shocked at his compliment, "Thanks for stepping in."

"Just doing my job." Chaud replied, "Here's your cane. What were doing around here?"

"I was on my way to register for the Battle Expo." I felt the stick being pressed in my hand, "It looks like me and Roll are going to enter that competition."

"Really."

"You entered too didn't you?" It was an unnecessary question; I could hear it in his voice.

"I have." Chaud confirmed my suspicions, "It looks like we'll get to clash again, and I'll be ready to win back my title."

"I'm sure you will." I nodded for his benefit. "Well, I'd better get a move on, nice running into you."

"I'd have preferred other circumstances." The Op replied, just before his footsteps sounded.

"You know," I turned and headed for the Expo Building, "Chaud really isn't that bad when he's not acting like a jerk."

"Ooh," Roll quipped. "Could Lan have some competition? Maybe, with a certain black and white haired Operator?"  
  
"Please, we're just friends," I could feel my face getting red.

"I know, we're there." My Navi informed me, "Door on the left, automatic."

"Thanks," I didn't have to worry about opening the door, according to Roll it was one of those automatic jobs that opened by themselves. Inside the building we quickly found the registration desk and got signed up. Having such a complicated Networking system may have removed the paper, but we had yet to remove the paperwork from society.

The registration went fairly quickly, and of course they were excited that I had decided to compete. But one of the workers there dropped a bombshell on Roll and me.

"What could be better?" The worker wondered aloud, "We've got that Blaze kid, Maylu here, and Hikari, is this going to be a match or what?"

"LAN'S COMPETING!" My jaw dropped open. How could Roll and I fight against him and Mega-Man?

End Chapter.

_A.N.: Oh my, is this unexpected or what?_

_Next: Preparations._

_Next Update: Tuesday._


	2. Shadows

_Author's Notes: I don't own anything but the idea for this fic._

_I figured that since not a lot happens in this chapter, I'd update both today and tomorrow._

_I'm trying to figure out where in the MMNTW timeline this takes place, it's got to be after the WWW because they've got the Unison ability, but it can't be during Nebula because I've already said that they're watching out for the WWW, but then considering the ending... Oh well, I'll figure it out eventually. _

_B. D. Yugi, Yeah, I figured out where your name came from, that Yu-Gi-Oh thing, I saw a commercial for it and immediately came up with about twenty hair jokes (Why do all of these Japanese shows give the characters such weird hair styles?). And what's with the guy who looks like every blood vessel in his face is about to explode? Please don't answer, I don't want to know. _

Begin Chapter.

I left the building in shock; I had never even considered the possibility that Lan might decide to enter the Battle Expo.

"What are we going to do?" I wondered aloud. "We can't fight Lan and Mega-Man. We just can't!" 

"I know." Roll agreed, "What if- oh, I can't go there."

"Maybe we just need to calm down." I started up the street. "For all we know, Proto-Man may beat Mega-Man early on, and we'll never have to fight him." 

"And the odds of that are?"

"Slim to none." I shook my head, "But I guess there's no use in worrying about it, we'll just have to accept whatever happens." 

"So..." My friend tried to change the subject, "What now?"

"Well, I think we need to drop by Higsby's, trading Battle Chips aren't going to be a part of this tournament, thankfully, so I'd like to have a few tricks up our sleeve."

"I hear you." Roll obviously remembered Frank's attempt to cheat us. "We used a lot of sword strategy in that last tournament. Maybe we should get a few blaster type chips."

"Sounds good to me." I began our journey across town; Higsby's wasn't that far away, and the trip there was uneventful. 

We found the shop and went inside.

"So, Maylu, what can I do for you?" 

"Hi, Higsby," I replied, "We've come to get a couple of Cannon type chips."

"Well, that's pretty specific," The chip nerd replied, "I've got Cannons, Hi-Cannons, M-Cannons, Shotguns, Crossfire, Spreaders, Blaster Bombs, you name it, I've got it. Why do you want them?"

"Roll and I just entered the Battle Expo," I launched into the explanation, "And we'd like to have a few tricks up our sleeves."

"I see..." Higsby replied, "But I thought that you had retired from competition." 

"I did, but the Youth Hospital's in major trouble, so I thought that if we can win the tournament, then we can help them out."

"Oh, the one with the rare chip, ah..." The nerd's voice trailed off, "A level five rarity, the Hero Sword... so rare... so valuable." "Houston, we have a problem," my pink friend muttered, "Higsby's spaced out again." "I know." I sighed, if you so much as mentioned a rare chip to this guy, he'd leave you behind and drift off to some make believe fantasy. And there was only one way to snap him out of it. "HIGSBY!" 

"WHAOA!" The nerd sounded like he'd been snapped out of a deep sleep, "Oops, sorry about that. Uh, what did you want again?"

"A blaster type chip." I started over from the beginning. "For the tournament."

"Oh right." The salesman caught on. "It's too bad about the hospital, one of their backers is calling in his loan. If they don't come up with a million Zen in about a month, they're shut down. I'll miss the old place."

"They will?" I hadn't heard that bit of news.

"I'm afraid so... Now, what type of gun do you want?"

"What do you think Roll?"

"I like the sound of that shotgun." My Navi replied.

"Alright, and I think I'll take a Crossfire as well." 

"Very good." Higsby's voice came over the sound of typing, "A Shotgun and a Crossfire, nice choice."

We completed the transaction and left Higsby to his fantasies. As far as we were concerned, the guy was weird, but what could you do about it?

"Maylu, phone call from Lan." Roll announced. 

"Put him on." I found and raised my terminal so that I could hear him. "Hello?"

"Hey, Maylu," Lan's voice was filled with excitement. "Guess what? There's a new tournament, Battle Expo, and me and Mega-Man just entered!"

"I know," I hated what I was about to say next. "You do?" "Yes," I didn't give myself time to get cold feet; I just rushed on, "Because me and Roll entered as well." "WHAT!" 

"Lan, the Youth Hospital's in serious trouble, if me and Roll can win the tournament, then we'll be able to give them a lot of help."

"But- but." The Op stuttered, "But we'll have to compete against each other! I can't do that!"

"But you take on Dex all the time." I countered. 

"But Dex is- Dex." Lan was still shell-shocked. "You're you, I can't fight you. And I know Mega-Man can't fight Roll, we just can't! Look, I'll drop out, that way you can still compete."

I knew how much he loved Netbattling competition, and I just couldn't let him throw this match away. "You can't do that, Lan, I couldn't bear to compete if you dropped out. Let's not worry about it, maybe we'll never have to meet in the arena."

"But if we do?" 

"Let's not let it affect us."

"No holding back just because we're friends," Lan finished for me, "And no matter what the outcome, it's alright with me, if it's fine with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." I agreed, "Like that match between me and Tory in the N-1, we'll stay friends no matter what." "I agree. See you there." But I didn't think that he sounded convinced as the connection ended. 

"Well, Roll." I muttered, "It's done. I hope we don't have to fight Lan, but if we do, we can't pull any punches."

"I know," My friend agreed, "Who'd have thought that I'd ever want Proto-Man to beat Mega?"

End Chapter.

_Author's Notes: O.K., now they're pushing it, begging for Proto to beat Mega._

_M. O. Water, I'm updating! I'm updating! Don't hurt Roll! I repeat, DO NOT harm Roll, should you attempt to do so, I will intervene._

_Y. Y., I do all of these Chaud and Proto-Man hair jokes, because his overall design really annoys me. I mean, we didn't get our beloved Proto-Man back, we got Zero with a name change! And that long silver hair of his, ugh, it just drives me up the wall. It goes for Chaud too, black and white hair? Who came up with that? I made a lot of fun of their hair in my first story, and then disappointed a lot of people when I didn't continue the tradition in the sequel, so it's kind of become my signature move._

_Next: Let the battles begin! Roll vs. Stealth!_

_Next Update: Friday._


	3. Sunset

_Author's Notes: I don't own, you don't sue._

_V. If you want Mamoru, then you'll have to check out, "Mega-Man.EXE 4: Network 404", because he shows up later on in that fic. Star-Man, no (Don't know a thing about him). But Kai makes a one-liner cameo later on. Which Sean are you talking about?_

_V. (Again) Roll/Beast-Man? (I hope you're not asking me to write that) Beats me, I'm not into romance, but Laura is, so I guess I'll let her answer that when she takes over on Friday. Yeah, the Lan vs. Maylu will be very interesting, I just hope I don't get killed for how I'm going to end it. And I could give them an 'Anti-Sword' chip, but surely Chaud's had to face that before, right?_

_B. D. Yugi, I don't believe it! I never even saw the irony in that 'Stealth' bit until you pointed it out. Anyways, I'm not going there yet, because of an 'accident' that happens later on.... _

_S. Rain, WHOA, calm down there. No, Chaud's not going to beat Lan, because Roll and Mega-Man must clash. I don't have a clue why I hate these strange hairstyles (99.9% of the shows you rattled off I've never heard of, so there._

Begin Chapter.

This was it; today was the first day of competition in the Battle Chip Expo.

"So, what's the lineup?" I asked aloud.

"Just a moment..." Roll scanned the information, "wow, we're in the very first match, followed by Lan, and then Chaud. Our opponent's someone named Felicity, and her Navi's just called Stealth."

"We'll find out what they can do soon enough." I replied, "I just hope that we can pull this off."

"I know, the Hospital's riding on us, whether they know it or not." My pink friend agreed. "But we'd better hurry, the match starts in five minutes." 

"Then let's go." I hurried away.

With Roll's guidance, I made my way to the arena, just as the announcer started the preliminaries. As it turned out, Ribbita was the host, again. Funny how she always got these tournament assignments.

"And welcome to the Battle Expo!" She shouted into her mike. "This is guaranteed to be an exciting match, as we have several top ranked Netbattlers in this competition!"

I felt along my control board, getting a feel for the area, the transmission gate was in the center, right next to a computer screen of some kind. I assumed that it would show me various statistics about the fight, but it wasn't going to do me much good.

"So let's get this started!" Ribbita hollered. "First off, we have Felicity Ram, and her Net Navi, Stealth! Her opponent will be Maylu Sakurai, first place winner of the Tag Team Tournament, and first blind Netbattler in championship competition!"

I sighed. Here we went again.

"With her Navigator, Roll!" The announcer finally finished her speech, "So let the games begin!" 

"Jack in, Stealth!"

"Jack in, Roll!" I yanked out my connection wire, and slipped it into the gate.

"Power up!"

"I'm in..." My Navi replied, "Stealth's sort of like a female Shadow-Man, she's got that ninja style of look, and a gray color scheme."

"Then be careful." I cautioned her, "We don't know what she can do, so let's feel her out before we attack."

"Got you."

"Hey, Sakurai!" A voice, probably belonging to Felicity, shouted at me. "You might as well give up now, because I'm going to pound that pathetic pink puffball into the dirt!"

"Puffball?" Roll and I shouted in perfect unison.

"That's what I said." Felicity's voice was filled with smirk.

"BATTLE START!"

"Let's go Roll," I felt along my chip folder, all of my chips had labels with raised printing on the top so that I could feel them and know what they were. And since I kept my folder perfectly organized, I knew just where everything was. "Aqua-Tower, Battle Chip in, and Download!"

"Bath time!" My Navi quipped, just before I heard the sounds of a geyser erupting. "You've got to get squeaky clean!"

"How pathetic can you get?" I heard Felicity's voice. "Stealth, dodge it."

"Right." A strange voice said. I heard footsteps and the tower splash on until it cancelled, we'd missed. "She's fast." Roll gasped. 

I heard the sounds of a disk hurling through the air; Roll hadn't done anything, so it must have come from Felicity. "Watch out!"

"I see it!" My Navi shouted as I heard her leap away. "She's got shurikens!" 

"Cyber-Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" Felicity cried.

"Roll, coming your way!" I found the required chip, "Cyber-Sword, Download!" 

"Got it!" I head the two blades connect in rapid succession, I could tell that Roll was having a hard time keeping up with her opponent, Stealth was just incredibly fast.

Two more slashes sounded, then Roll cried out and a crash blared at me as she hit the floor. She'd been hit.

"Take her out!" My opponent cried.

"No way," I snatched a chip, "Area Steal!" I listened to the slight 'hiss' as the chip warped my friend to safety, and Stealth's blade whistle through the air without hitting anything. 

"She's good," Roll panted.

"We can't match her speed," I thought aloud, "so we'll have to start playing smart, Typhoon Virus, Download. Roll, hang onto that sword!"

"Right, Typhoon!" My pink Navi agreed. "Attack!" 

"Like that'll work," I heard Stealth's voice over her footsteps, "Once quick slash and it's bye-bye virus."

"That's what I'm counting on." I thought as I raised my second copy of the Area Steal. "Put your focus on the virus."

I heard our opponent strike.

"Area Steal, Download!" 

"Watch your back!" Felicity shouted.

"Too late!" Roll cried, just before I heard her weapon connect with something. "Got you!"

"You'll pay for that!"

"Bubbler, Download!" I shouted. "You washed and rinsed, but didn't repeat!" I heard Roll fire. Stealth shrieked as she got soaked. 

"Enough fooling." Felicity snapped, "Take her down!"

"Right," the Navi agreed, "Berserk Slash!"

Roll cried out as I heard her adversary attack in rapid succession, she was just too fast to keep up with. Then an explosion sounded, and Roll groaned just before a loud crash sounded. 

"ROLL!"

"I'm fine." She wheezed, "I just need a moment. The sword's gone." 

"We've got to even this out." I ran over every scenario I could think of, and then I felt like kicking myself. "Which we could have done long ago! You've got the Wood Shadow style."

"Of course!" My friend agreed, "why didn't I think of that?" "Finish this!" Felicity shouted. 

"Style Change!" I pounded the button on my P.E.T. "Wood Shadow!"

"Activate!" Roll announced. "Grass Blade Sword!"

There was a loud crash.

"No way?" Felicity gasped, "She blocked? But how?"  
  
"It's the Style Change." I explained, as I hit the second button on my Terminal, which would allow Roll to turn the arena into a grass type. "When Roll's in Wood Shadow Style, she's much faster and her defensive abilities skyrocket. Plus, she becomes a wood type Navi, and can heal herself by standing on Grass tiles, which we just created." 

"Stealth, end this now!" The Op screeched. "Hero Sword!"

"Bamboo Sword, Download!" As a plant Navi, Roll could strengthen any kind of Grass element Battle Chip, which included the Bamboo Sword.

"Perfect!" My Navi voiced, and the following sounds told me that they were parrying their blades, but this time Roll was holding her own.

"She's much faster now!" Stealth gasped, "I've lost my advantage!"

"But I'll get you another!" Felicity shouted back, "Fire Sword, Download!"

"We're ready for you!" I slipped a chip into my terminal, "Leaf Shield!"

I heard the barrier appear around Roll. And then our attacker's blade swipe through space.

"Thanks for healing me." There was a grin in my Navi's voice. "The Leaf Shield transforms any attack into HP!" 

This would be close, while Roll's style change was a great benefit; we didn't have an edge over Stealth. So it would all come down to one final stretch.

"I've got you now!" Stealth stated. I heard a blade slash through space. 

"Nice try!" My Navi retorted, just before she retaliated.

"NO!" Felicity screamed.  
  
**_Stealth Logging Out._**

"And Maylu has done it again!" Ribbita roared into her mike. "She and Roll have beaten Stealth in the very first round of the Battle Expo, what an exciting way to kick off this tournament, but don't go away! Lan Hikari and Joe Smith are battling next, so this next match is not to be missed!"

"That was a nice match Felicity." I extended my hand, "You nearly had us there for a second."

"I guess I did." My opponent took my hand, "You weren't so bad yourself, that Typhoon trick almost did us in, I hope we can square off another time."

"You never know." I agreed just before we went our separate ways.

"Nice going." Lan's voice cut through the air.

"Thanks," I tried to hone in on his position, "good luck, Lan."

"Maylu," His voice was filled with concern, "Be careful around here."

"What?" I hadn't been expecting that.

"I just overhead a guy talking, he's got a really deep voice, and he was saying that he'd get even with you if it was the last thing he did."

End Chapter.

_Next: Roll vs. Lotto-Man! (B. D. Yugi, )_

_Next Update: Friday._


	4. Darkness

_Note from Laura._

_Yes, it's me, your annoyingly lovable co-host._

_V. ROLL/BEASTMAN?! That's about as bad as a Dex/Yai!! You gave me nightmares! Oh, it was horrible... ohh.... So painful... -faints- ... -regains consciousness- where was I? Oh yeah, I guess it could be pulled off, but I'm not an author, so who knows? Star-man, odd that we didn't see him in the script for Network Transmission, I'll have to do some research. Actually, we do know who Sean is, but we needed to know WHICH Sean you were referring too. 'Sean' turned out to be two completely different, uh, personalities in the anime and the games. In the anime, Sean, a.k.a. 'Kid Grave', was a robot that Wily built as a smokescreen to keep anyone from finding out that he was still alive. –Stupid Question: If Wily can build these robots, why not just flood the world with them instead of trying to destroy the Internet? I know, I know- Bass later seized control of it, and uses the robot so that he can travel both the physical world and the digital one._

_B. D. Yugi, I don't know why he didn't catch it either._

_S. Rain, is it just me, or are you and Webbuilder arguing through the review boards? Neither Webbuilder nor I watch that much T.V., we're both incredibly busy going to school full time. So while Webbuilder's holding down two jobs and his own business, and I'm at work whenever I've got a few minutes to spare, I guess the rest of you are out there watching people with split personalities play card games. I'm not trying to make a fight; I'm just explaining why we're both so lost in this... Where does he find the time to write this stuff? Back on topic, yeah, the majority of this is Roll action, but we do see a little MegaMan and ProtoMan later on when- AAHHH!!_

Begin Chapter.

"And our next match is Maylu Sakurai and Roll, versus Larry Kerry and Lotto-Man."

"Lotto-Man?" Roll queried, "What's that mean?"

"I don't know..." I headed for my terminal, "But I suppose that we'll find out."

"I'm looking forward to this," A voice came to me, "I've always wondered how I'd stack up against a Champion."

"Well, I guess that you'll find out." I replied, "But I know that you'll do well."

"Thanks, now, Jack In, Lotto-Man, Power up!"

"Jack in, Roll, power up!" I slipped my wire into the gate.

"I'm in." My Navi replied. "Lotto-Man's weird, he's sort of like a clear cylinder with arms and legs, but he's got a bunch of little balls bouncing around in his body. And his head's sort of like a big mirror ball with eyes."

"BATTLE START!"

"Let's heat things up!" I grabbed a cartridge, "Heater, Battle Chip in, Download!" 

"Thanks!" I heard the weapon form, and Roll fire.

"Mini Boomer!" Larry cried out.

"Let's go!" A new voice cried out, and a small explosion sounded, they had to have blow our Bubble away with their bomb.

"I'm on it." My friend fired off multiple times.

I heard the Heater do its job, but nothing to indicate that Lotto-Man had been hit.

"Our turn!" My opponent shouted. "First off, I'll download this M-Cannon, then I'll let Lotto-Man do his job."

"You see." The squeaky voice picked up the explanation. "I have a special ability, where I can strengthen any chip by the number of the Lotto-Ball that comes up. For instance-"

"He just shot a large white ball just shot up into the air!" Roll cried out.

"Hang on," I instructed her, "I don't like the sound of this, hit him before he can fire!"

"Right! Heater!" I heard a slight thud, right before Roll squeezed off a round.

"Whoa!" Larry shrieked, "#4! That means we can quadruple the M-Cannon's power!"

"M-CANNON!" The gambling Navi cried as he fired.

I heard the sounds of energy slicing through the air, and then a loud explosion, but the energy kept coming.

"He blew the Heater to shreds!" My Navi gasped. "And his shot's still coming!"

"Roll, MOVE!" 

I heard the shot cancel out, she had just managed to clear the blast.

"That was too close, Maylu." Roll gasped. 

"I know, we'll have to take this guy down in a hurry!" I grabbed a chip, "try this, Aqua Tower, Download!"

"Right, Aqua Tower!" My Navi shouted. "Aqua Tower huh?" My competitor said, "Fire Tower, Download!" 

"Let's see what Lotto I get this time!" Roll's opponent shouted. "#2! Perfect!"

I listened as another tower formed, and raced across the field.

"They'll cancel each other out!" Roll gasped.

"You wish!" Lotto-Man replied, "You see, I doubled that tower's power, so when your hits mine, the Aqua Tower'll be destroyed, but the Fire Tower'll just downgrade to normal strength."

I heard the two attacks crash into each other, but only one dissolve.

"Maylu!" "Area Steal!" I jabbed the chip into its slot. 

"I'm safe." Roll replied a few seconds later, "But we're at a stalemate."

"Not for long!" My opponent replied, "Spreader! Download!"

"Lotto Ball!" Lotto-Man screeched.

"Roll, I've got an idea." I stated as I fingered my chips. "Don't attack but watch Lotto closely for a few rounds, if I'm right, we can still win this."

"I understand." My Navi agreed, "we'll just sit tight for a few turns."

"Lotto Ball #7!" My Navi's opponent cried out, "wonderful! I'll just upgrade this Spreader seven times... and fire!"

"Area Steal!" I slid the chip into my P-E-T. I only had one more copy of the chip in my folder, so my theory had better be confirmed soon.

Several explosions blared from the speakers, but Roll reappeared unharmed. "Enough fooling around!" Larry shouted, "Rock Cube!" 

"But the Rock Cube is an obstacle chip." I wondered aloud, "how can you upgrade an obstacle?"

"You can't," I could hear a grin in my opponent's voice, "But you can multiply it!"

"Watch it!" I hollered.

"Lucky 5!" Lotto-Man rejoiced, "just the number I needed! Rock Cubes!"

I listened as several loud crunches popped across the Network, I wasn't sure if Roll had made it.

"Roll! Are you there?"

"I'm fine." My Navi reassured me. "But I'm pinned it! I've got two cubes on my right and left, and one behind me, the only way out is through Lotto-Man!"

"It looks like this is it folks!" Ribbita's voice came through the air. "I don't see anyway that Roll and Maylu can come back and win this match."

"Now, Crossfire Download!" Larry called out.  
  
"Lotto Ball!"

"Maylu, there's only one way out of this mess."

"I hear you, we've got to get fully synched." I tried to clear my mind, and waited for Roll to as well.

"I'm ready." She replied.

"Then let's turn this around!" I grabbed the chip. "Number 9! My highest number, perfect! Crossfire fire!" 

I slapped the proper chips into my P-E-T. "Typhoon, Hurricane, Cyclone, Download. Program Advance:"

"Desert Storm!" Roll finished, as I heard the attacks combine. "Program Advance now!"

"Uh oh." Lotto's squeaky voice was even smaller.

The Advance tore through the air, and washed its wind and rain over the course. I heard the Crossfire attack shatter, and the Advance crash into our opponent, before continuing on and blowing up.

"Now!" I slapped another chip into my terminal. "Variable Sword, Battle Chip in, Download." 

"Thanks!" Roll's footsteps sounded as she tore out of her prison and at Lotto-Man.

"NO! Hurry, Cyber Sword, Download!" Larry shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Lotto Ball, come on, daddy needs a high number." The Navi's voice was laced in desperation, "#1!"

"Yes!" I pumped a fist, I had guessed correctly. "I knew that there had to be a weakness to your gambling strategies, and I found it! It was so simple, I just made two major guesses, first, that you can't replenish your supply of lottery balls until you've existed them all, second, that the numbers only ran up to 9. If you'll notice, the past several turns you've rolled high numbers, and now you've only got one high number left, #8, which means that the odds of you landing a higher number are much less than a lower one. So as long as we use strong chips, we should have the advantage."

"No!" Larry shrieked.

"Got you!" Roll snapped, just before her blade clashed.

"Ouch!" Lotto-Man squealed, "That hurts!"

"Did you expect it to tickle?" My opponent chided his Navi. "Cannon!" 

"Lotto Ball!" The Navi mumbled, "AUGH! #2!"

"Doesn't matter, just fire!" Larry shouted.

"Right, fire!" The Navi agreed. 

"Got you covered!" I slammed a chip into my terminal, "Body Double!"

An explosion sounded.

"Ha! We got her!" My competition announced.

"I don't think so!" Roll disagreed. 

"I don't believe this." Larry sounded desperate, "Tri Lance, Download!"

A crash erupted from the arena.

"I interrupted his shot." Roll explained; "Wait, it's happening again!"

"It's Full Synchro?" I guessed. 

"Synchro or not, we'll beat you!" Larry shouted. "Cannon!"

"That's it!" My Navi agreed, "It's been a while since I've felt it. I've gone Full Synchro!"

"Lotto Ball don't fail me now!" The Navi begged, "#8! Finally!"

"Shotgun, Battle Chip in, Download!" I slammed the chip into the gate.

"Thanks." Roll replied, "I can feel the power... It's got to be more than enough!"

"Cannon!" Lotto cried.

"Synchro Shotgun Blast!" My friend shouted.

I listened as the blasts ripped through the air and then a minor explosion sounded but one of the attacks survived and kept going. I just hoped it was ours. 

_**Lotto-Man Logging Out.**_

"Yes!" Roll and I shouted in Unison. "We did it!"

"I guess I can accept that." Larry's voice came to me. "Good job, I can see how you got your reputation."

"With a little practice you'll be back in action." I told my former opponent, "Good work." 

"Thanks." I heard his footsteps as he walked away.

"We're going to do this Roll." I jacked her out of the Network, "I can feel it, we're going to win this tournament!"

"I've got something to say about that." An annoyingly familiar voice interrupted us.

"Maddy." I groaned, "What do you want?"

"Simple, you little blind bat." The WWW agent's sneer was so evident I didn't even have to see it to know that it existed. "I'm scheduled to Netbattle you next week in your next battle. And Wacko-Man's going to destroy that pathetic pink Navi of yours."

"In your dreams," I snapped, "oh wait, you already live in a fantasy don't you?"

"I don't have to take that from you!" Maddy shrieked, "Tournament or not, I'll delete that Navi of yours! I know more about Netbattling than you'll ever know!"

"Oh, can you do that?" I shot back, "I thought you had to have a brain to remember things."

"I'll see you on the field!" The crazed agent stormed away. "And you can kiss that Navi of yours good-bye!"

"I'm ready for you!" I called after her. "Any time!" 

End chapter.

_S. Rain, was he too snobby for you?_

_Next: Comic Relief! Roll Vs. Wacko-Man, again, but with a twist!  
__  
Next Update: Tuesday._


	5. Starlight

_Notes:_

_V. Once again, we're falling back on the show, during the first N-1 Grand Prix, Maylu and Yai ran into Maddy at the gift shop. Maddy, being Maddy, started annoying Maylu because she was her next opponent, calling her a weak Netbattler and mere child, this proved too much for our redhead, who immediately responded by insulting Maddy's age –rolls eyes, no pun-. This of course sparked a rivalry between them that existed all the way to the final episodes of 'NT Warrior'. So in other words, CAT FIGHT!_

_P. Sorry, that Sean doesn't show up. And apology accepted, actually, the more I think about it; the more I'm starting to like the idea of a Roll/BeastMan, –gasp- I think I'm getting addicted... _

_S. Rain, I'm not 100 percent sure what you mean by that, but of course we know each other, have for the past three years._

_Yes, there will be a Mega-Man vs. Roll match relatively soon, please note that 'relatively' is a subjective term, plus, we're counting down to the next Unison!_

Begin Chapter.

"And today its Maddy versus Maylu, in the next round of the Battle Expo!"

"Stay sharp, Roll." I jacked her into the Network, "I trust Maddy about as far as I can see her."

"In other words, not at all." My Navi quipped, "I'm in, and so is old Wacko-Breath."

"I heard that!" The clown shrieked.

"And now, Battle Start!"

"Aqua Tower!" I slid the chip home.

"Right!" I heard my pink friend reply, just before a geyser erupted, and the sounds of a tower racing across the field came to me.

"Fight fire with fire." Maddy snapped, "Fire Tower, Download!"

"With the help of a Little Wacko." The clown cried out, "I'll fry you!"

Now, I could hear two towers on the field, both of which had to be heading towards each other.

"Let's use this to our advantage." I grabbed another chip and slid it home, "Ready?" 

"I was programmed ready." Roll replied, "This'll do nicely!"

Finally, I listened to the two towers collide, and explode into a cloud of steam.

"It's foggier in here than in a steam room." Our opponent muttered, "Now where'd that pink pest go?"

"Right here!" I heard Roll slash her newly gained Cyber Sword through space.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Wacko-Man screamed, "Watch it! Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to play with knives?"

"Come back here, you turkey!" My Navi's voice and footsteps told me that she was chasing the clown around the arena. 

"I'm not turkey!" The ball bottomed Navi gasped, "I'm chicken! Buck, Buck, Buck- YEOW! "

"Got you!" Roll cried out.

"Wacko-Man stop fooling around!" My competition hollered, "Blow her sky high!"

"Right! I'll just create two more, Little Wacko." The clown replied, "Ha! Now it's three against one."

"You just never learn," I could hear the amusement in Roll's voice, "Roll Control!"

"Uh oh."

I listened as two small 'pings' beeped from the computer, Roll now had nailed the two clowns. Now, they were under her control.

"What do you want us to do?" They said in monotone.

"Pound that psychotic clown into the dirt!" My Navi shouted.

"Yes, Roll, WACKO BALL!" The two continued in monotone.

"MADDY!" I listened as two loud thuds came from the computer; Wacko-Man had been beamed. "Ouch."

"Now, let's wrap this up!" I raised another chip, "Fire Tower Battle-"

"Maylu!" Roll shouted, "Something's happening to the Network!"

"What?" I gasped. "This must be Maddy's doing!"

"I'm not doing this!" The agent shot back, "the entire Network's disintegrating!" 

"Ladies and Gentleman." Ribbita announced, "The Battle Expo server is malfunctioning, all battlers are to jack out immediately with no penalty. Any Navi who remain in the Network are running the risk of deletion, please remain calm, and we'll have the problem fixed as soon as possible."

"Roll, get out of there!" I grabbed my wire.

"I don't think so." A familiar deep voice came across my P-E-T. "I'm getting my revenge! Say good-bye Roll!" 

"Maylu! Jack me out!" My Navi cried, "There's a link of some kind that's activated, and it's trying to pull everything into it!"

"I've got you!" I yanked the plug out of its socket. "Roll! Talk to me!"

"I'm still in the Network!" Her voice came from the computer and not my Terminal. "I can't hold out much longer!"

"ROLL!"

"MADDY!" Wacko-Man shrieked, "HELP!" "Hang on!" Lan's voice cut through the confusion, "We're coming!" 

"Quick, Lan, jack me in!" Mega-Man shouted, "I'll try to rescue them."

"Power up!"

"Mega-Man!" Roll screamed; "Stay back. This vortex will pull you in!"

"Hold on! I'm coming!" The Bomber yelled.

"ROLL!" I connected the terminal and removed it again; the results were no different. "Hang on!" 

"Maylu!" She cried out.

"MADDY!" Wacko-Man screeched.

"NO!" Mega-Man's voice topped them all. Then, it all stopped.

Silence reigned in the stadium.

"Roll?" I frantically called into my terminal, "Roll! Are you there?"

"Not found." The P-E-T's speakers said in monotone. "404 Error." 

"Lan, what's going on?" I asked.

"I don't know," The Op admitted, "Roll and Wacko-Man got pulled through the vortex, and then the entire system rebooted. I don't know where they are."

"I have an announcement." Ribbita spoke again. "The rest of today's matches have been cancelled so that the Network may be examined for bugs, the Battle Expo will resume in two days, so we'll see you then!" 

"Lan, we've got to find her." I said. Roll couldn't be gone, I needed her too much, and who knew where she was? For all I knew, she could be stranded in a remote Network. There was a lot of Cyberspace out there, and I wasn't sure if we could find her or not.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Maddy sneered at us, "What kind of operator are you? Letting your own Navi get stranded in cyber-space." 

"I can't believe her." I muttered; here Roll and Wacko-Man were missing, and all she could think about was annoying me.

"Fer cryin' out loud, get a grip on yerself!" Match's voice blared out. "Maddy, ya've got to admit that we might have more luck if we join forces with them."

"Why should I?"

"Fer one thing, Wacko-Man's out there in the Net with no Operator." The Scot continued, "until we find him, he's running the risk a being deleted. And ya've got to admit that these two are good." 

"I'll think about it." Maddy's footsteps stormed off, "But I'm not promising anything."

"The weasel." Match muttered, just before he addressed us. "But I'm with ya, so let's git to work."

"Right," Lan replied, "Don't worry Maylu, we'll find them."

"I know we will." I admitted, "But I hope that we find them in time."

"Jack in, Torch-Man power up!" Match bellowed.

"So, Torch-Man, it looks like we're partners." Mega-Man's voice drifted out of the Network. "Lan, what now?"

"First off, we need to reopen that link, and find out where it took them." The Op instructed. "Then we'll try to track them down."

"Sounds good to me." The Navi replied, "I think I can find it, the problem will be getting it open again... O.K., I've got it. Now, I've got to unlock the seal... and it's not going to be easy."

"Leave it to me." Torch-Man's voice replied. "Fire Arm!"

"HEY!"

An explosion sounded. "Next time don't cut it so close O.K.?" The Bomber snapped, "I've grown attached to my right arm."

"Next time don't get in my way." The fire Navi retorted. "Or you'll get burned."

"Jist knock 't off." Match barked, "and jump through the link!"

"Right." The hothead mumbled. 

I sighed, the way this rescue was going; we'd be lucky if either one of them survived TO rescue anyone. With friends like this, who needs enemies? I just hoped that we could find Roll, and that she'd be alive when we did.

End Chapter.

_Next: Beauty and the BeastMa- I MEAN BASS! BASS! Look what they did to me! AAHHH!! Beauty and the BASS!_

_Next Update: Friday._

_See ya,_

_Laura._


	6. Midnight Pt 1

Author's Notes: I do not own.

_Hey, can we keep the review boards on topic? I think we're scaring away the readers..._

_P. So you're V's co-author, nice to meet you, and welcome aboard!_

_B. D. Yugi, yeah, it should be interesting, assuming of course that they don't kill each other first... _

_??Rain, In response to your question, yes, Laura and me do know each other in real life. We got partnered together in chemistry class a few years ago because she's trying to learn ASL, and I'm 'Hearing Impaired'. Since I respected her for who she is, and she didn't treat me like an idiot, we got along pretty well._

_This chapter is written from the third person view._

BEGIN CHAPTER!

"Where are we?" Roll glanced around the Network in confusion; the entire section of the Internet looked dark and depressing, and gave her an attack of the nerves.

"Beats me." Wacko-Man studied the Network.

"But then most Navi do." The pink Navi couldn't resist the joke.

"Hey, that wasn't too bad." The clown didn't seem that offended by the remark. "There's hope for you yet. Wait, shouldn't I be fighting you? I should!"

"Now hold on!" Roll held up her hands, "Let's face it, we don't have a clue were we are, and until we get back to our P-E-T's we're going to run the risk of deletion. So it might be safer if we work together, at least until we get back to our operators." 

"No thanks, there's no way I'm ever teaming up with you." The clown turned to roll away, "I'll get back to Maddy, by myself!"

"Wacko-Man, wait!"

"Are you scared to be out here by yourself?" The ball bottomed Navi taunted over his shoulder as he moved on. "Do you need Mega-Man to hold your hand? HA! That was a good-"

The Navi cut himself off as he bumped into to something tall and solid.

"Oh, sorry, my fault." The clown turned to look at what he'd hit. And then wished that he had paid more attention to what he was doing; he stared up in horror at the Navi towering over him. 

The Navi was purple, with golden boots, and crest that had a slash of corrupted data running down it. Swept fins ran out of his helmet, and ran back past the back of his head, and the Navi didn't look thrilled to see him, in fact, he looked downright angry.

"Uh oh, do you see what I see?" The clown wheezed.

"I wish I didn't." Roll's eyes went wide. "That's BASS!"

"RUN!" The clown's circular mode of transportation began doing ninety, and he tore away.

"You don't have to tell me!" Roll was right on the Navi's heels.

"You." Bass stared after the retreating Navi, and began to drift after them in pursuit. "I know you..."

"Not me!" Wacko-Man shrieked, "I've got a universal face, you know, I look like everyone else. I've never seen you before!"

"Just zip it and run!" The pink Navi snapped, Wacko-Man was a terrible liar, and if they didn't loose Bass fast, he might not live to lie again.

"I don't run!" The clown's ball increased its rotation speed. "I roll!" 

"I'm going to ignore that." The pink Navi glanced over he shoulder, Bass was gaining on them. There had to be a way out of this mess.

"I WANT MY MADDY!" The clown screamed as he continued to run, unfortunately, he paid too much attention on his heart-wrenching plea, and not enough on his mad dash for freedom. As a result, he somehow managed to trip over his own two feet in some unknown way, and crashed heavily to the ground.

Bass took the advantage and closed in. 

"AAAHHHH!" Wacko-Man stared at the Net Navi bearing down on him. "AAAHHH!"

"Roll Blast!" Roll spun around, her bow peppering the sky with its arrows. Sure, Wacko-Man could be the second-place world class jerk at times, but she wouldn't wish that kind of fate on everyone. "Stay back you!" 

Bass wasn't at all fazed by Roll's shots but the purple Navi did stop moving as her arrows bounced off of him, giving the clown a few seconds to right himself.

"Hurry up!" Roll kept firing, but wasn't making a dent in the Solo Net Navi.

"I'm way ahead of you!" The ball-bottomed Navi took off running. 

Roll dropped her blaster and took to her escape.

* * *

"Mega Buster!" The Blue Bomber fired his cannon, and logged out his opponent.

"Fire Arm!" The hotheaded Netbattler fired off streams of flame, which stopped two of his attackers in their tracks. "Ha! I got two at once, let's see you do better!" 

"Fine!" Mega-Man formed a Hi-Cannon on his wrist and sent his shot through the air, beating four Navi. "I hope this isn't where Roll and Wacko-Man ended up!"

When Torch-Man and his ally had reached the end of the link, and found themselves in the Under-Net, they had been assaulted by gangs of rogue Navis almost instantly; getting them involved in a gang war. The battle was impending the Navi's progress towards finding Roll, and really annoying Mega Man. 

"Lan, I can't take it any more." The Bomber fired at a few more Navi. "Let's end this now!"

"Right." 

"HAHAHA!" Torch-Man interrupted the duo, "I nailed seven, beat that!"

"With pleasure." A grin spread across Mega-Man's face, "Let's do it!"

"Cannon, Hi-Cannon, _Mega_-Cannon, Download!"

"Program Advance to Giga-Cannon now!" The Blue Navi watched the weapons combine into one huge gun, "HIIAAA!"

A blast of energy ripped through the air, taking out a fourth of their attackers.

"Torch-Man, duck!" The Navi swiveled his weapon around and fired again.

"WHOA!" The hotheaded Navi dropped to the floor, just before the Advance would have nailed him. "Watch it!"

"MEGA BLAST!" The Bomber ignored his ally as he kept pumping the trigger, in four swift shots he had cleared out the Network. "I believe that's at least forty-seven."

"No estimating." Torch-Man rumbled as he picked himself off of the floor.

"O.K." Mega-Man watched as his cannon disappeared, "Let's keep looking, they have to be around here somewhere."

* * *

"He's gaining on us!" Wacko-Man shrieked, "This guy doesn't know when to quit, and I'm getting tired!"

"It's either run, or get absorbed into his system." Roll replied as she kept going, "Take your pick."

"I'll run!"

"I thought you'd say that." The pink Navi glanced over her shoulder, and gasped, "DOWN!"

"What?" The clown threw himself to the floor, and a massive laser ripped over his head.

Roll looked backward, to see Bass closing in on them, his ominous Gospel/Grave Cannon smoking. The renegade raised his hands, and a massive wall appeared around the temporary allies, leaving only one way out, through Bass. "Come to me." The solo Navi raised his huge cannon. 

"Forget it, cobra head." Wacko-Man snapped. "That cannon's got bad breath!"

A blast ripped through space.

"On second thought..." The clown coughed as he tried to brush the ash off of his clothes.

"Here's my answer!" Roll barked, "Roll Arrow!"

Bass just stood there as the arrows pinged off of his armor. In reply, he pointed his buster at the pink Navi, and the mouth began to glow ominously.

The pink Navi watched as the attack tore at her.

"ROLL!" Wacko-Man screeched.

"Wacko-Man!" The Navi stared in horror as the clown threw himself in front of her, and the wave of energy poured over him. "Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah." The clown tried to dust himself off again; "I just love getting barbecued, but don't get used to me saving you. I just owed you for the last time."

"Enough." Bass' cannon glowed with power as he prepared to fire...

END CHAPTER!

Next: Turn up the heat and bring out the clowns!

Next Update: Tuesday.


	7. Midnight Pt 2

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_V. and P., a Unison with Wacko-Man? Maybe..._

_S. Rain, Scarily nice, yeah, that's about it._

_C. S. Omega, there's a lot of treble with Bass. (SORRY! Couldn't resist!)_

Begin the chapter.

"I see her!" Mega-Man shouted, "establishing up-link! Maylu hurry, Bass has found them!"

"Style change!" I pounded on the button, "Aqua Shield style!"

"Maylu? Are you there?" I heard Roll gasp as the change took place.

"Of course I am!" I shouted, "Hurry! Crystal Globe!" 

"Right!" I heard the defense form, and an attack of some kind slam into the barrier, then, an explosion sounded.

"I don't believe it." My Navi gasped. "Bass destroyed the shield and my style change in one blow!"

"But at least you're safe." I pointed out, "It's your call, do you want to jack out, or stay and fight?"

"We've never turned down a challenge in our life!" Roll said, "Let's pound Bass into a treble!" 

"I'm with you!" Mega-Man's voice came to me.

"Count on me!" Wacko-Man agreed, "I'd like to barbecue him for a change!" 

"I'm going to turn up the heat!" Torch-Man bellowed.

"Bring it." Bass strange voice muttered.

"Right, Cyber-Sword, Wide-Sword, Long-Sword, Battle Chips in, Download!" Lan shouted.

"Typhoon, Cyclone, Hurricane, Download!" I slammed the chips into my terminal.

"Program Advance: Life Force Sword!" The Bomber shouted.

"Program Advance: Desert Storm!" Roll's voice topped him, "Take this, you Pharaoh-Man reject!"

I listened to the sounds of the attacks roar, and then crash into something. But they were cut off too soon; they had failed.

"I don't believe it!" Mega-Man gasped. "He cancelled a double Program Advance!"

"Now, Mega-Man, prepare to fall!" Bass whispered.

"Not if I have anythin' to say about 't!" Match fired up, "let 'im have it!"

"Fire Arm!" The hothead shouted, just before he fired his cannon.

"Wacko-Ball!" The Clown cried out.

"Gai Meteor, Battle Chip in, download!" Lan cried.

"Aqua-Tower, Download!" I joined in.

"It's not working!" Roll informed me. "Bass doesn't even seem phased! Or concerned! There's got to be some way to take him down."

"I've had it!" The Clown shrieked. "NOBODY grills me twice and gets away with it. Roll, you've been a great partner, don't tell Madd Maddy I said that, but a clown's got to do what a clown's got to do!"

"Wacko-Man wait!" My Navi shouted.

"Take this you big bully!" The ball bottomed Navi shouted, "Overload!" 

"He'll blow himself sky high!" Match said in shock.

"You don't concern me." Our opponent stated, then a huge explosion came squealing from the speakers.

"OW!" The clown's voice continued, "Cheater!"

"Wacko-Man, you're alright!" The relief was evident in Roll's voice, "don't do that to me."

"So I didn't get to beat him." Wacko-Man sniffed, "But I always bounce back! Always! What? I feel... strange...."

"I do too." My pink friend agreed. "But it's familiar... is it?"

"MOVE!" Mega-Man's voice interrupted the two, just before another 'boom' came from the Network. "Bass is taking the offensive!"

"I think it's a Soul Unison!" Roll gasped, "between me and- Wacko-Man?"

"WHAT!" I shouted into the link, I didn't even want to think about what this was going to look like, nevertheless, the image of Roll crammed into Wacko's form haunted my mind. "A Unison between you and Wacko?"

"I find it hard to believe, but it's beginning to activate!"

"Then do it!" I announced.

"What'd you say Torch-Man?" The Bomber asked, "Ready to blow something up?"

"I am." The flame Navi rumbled.

"Torch Unison!"

"Roll?" I asked, "Are you there?"

"I am, the Unison's done." Her voice came to me, "Actually, it doesn't look that bad, I've got yellow boots, a blue vest and skirt. Pink gloves, and red and yellow arms, my helmet's turned yellow, with two blue fins coming out of the ear guards." 

"And, the ball?"

"Nonexistent." Roll replied, "I don't see it anywhere. But let's give Bass what for!" 

"Right! We're set." Mega-Man agreed. "Bass, you're through!"

"We'll see about that." Our opponent stated.

"Oh yes we will!" Roll cried out, "Wacko Ball shot!"

"That's my line!" The clown cried out, "Wacko Ball!"

"Fire Arm!" The Bomber announced.

"Fire Arm!" The hothead screeched.

I listened as the attacks collided with something, probably Bass, but that was it.

"He didn't even slow down!" My Navi gasped. "Impossible!"

I heard the telltale sounds of Bass' cannon charging.

"Watch it!" I slammed a chip into the gate, "Spreader, Download." 

"Catch!" Roll fired her new weapon. "It's not strong enough!"

"Fire Sword!" Mega-Man's voice came to me. "HHAAIII!"

I heard a crash.

"No good, he deflected it."

The cannon's high pitched squeal reached it's peak, and I heard the Cannon's power rip through the Network.

"I'm clear!" I heard Roll bound out of harm's way. "Wacko Ball shot!"

I listened to her kick the ball across the arena, and it rebound off of something. But no sign of the dark Navi slowing down. There had to be some way to stop him, I just had to find it, we couldn't overpower him.

_The power of friendship_

"Huh?" I said aloud, now that was a totally off topic thought, or was it? Where had I heard that quote before?

"_How are they doing this?" Chaud hissed to himself._

"_You know what your problem is?" Lan shot back with his trademark grin. "It's because I'm reading your moves like I was making them. You ready Mega-Man?"_

"_Of course!" The Navi dodged a swipe of Proto-Man's sword; "We can't let everyone down now!"_

"_Right, let's win this match- for everyone!"_

_"That's it." Chaud muttered slowly, "That's the source of his power, it his friendship that drives them on... The power of friendship... Well here's teamwork for you! Proto-Man and I are going to beat you!"_

"_For the title!" The Op slammed a chip into his Terminal._

"_For the team!" Lan and Mega-Man retorted._

"That's it!" I shouted, "We've got to put our power together! Roll, combine your attacks with Mega-Man's!"

"I'm on it!" The Navi replied. "Wacko Ball Shot!"

"Fire Arm!" The Bomber agreed.

"Combine now! Flaming Wacko Shot!" The two announced.

I heard Bass' Cannon charge up to the maximum, and fire.

His shot roared from the computer, and then exploded, a second eruption sounded before Bass cried out. They had nailed him.

"Oh yeah, let's do that again!" Lan's voice was filled with excitement.

"Right, Fire Arm!"

"Little Fire Wacko!"

"Program Combine Now. Growing Wacko Torch Tower!"

"Whoa!" My partner gasped, "Mega-Man's feeding the fire tower, and it's growing bigger!"

"Don't forget about us!" Wacko-Man called out, "Wacko Ball!"

"Fire Arm." Torch-Man rumbled.

Bass roared in anger, and then I heard the tower dissolve. He was back in action.

"We've only got one shot left!" Roll cries out. "And then the Unison's gone!" 

"Same as!" Mega-Man announced, "This is it, it's now or never!"

"Fire Arm!" 

"Wacko Ball."

"Flaming Wacko Ball shot!"

"Foolish." Bass metallic voice came to me; I heard his attack charging up. "Farewell!"

"Hmm." Roll and Mega-Man said in unison. "I don't think so!"

I heard the flaming projectile slam into Bass, who screamed in blind rage as he tried to withstand the attack.

"Uh, the fusion's gone." Roll sounded exhausted, "But we can't give up, let's take him down!"

"Right, Crossfire, Download!"

"Take this!" My Navi fired her newly gained weapon.

"Hi-Cannon Battle Chip in, Download!" Lan instructed.

"Catch!" The Bomber pumped the trigger.

"Heater!" Match announced. "Flare up!"

Torch-Man went to work. 

"Wacko Ball!" Wacko-Man shouted.

"NO! I can't be defeated!" Bass' voice snapped. "I-"

A crash sounded.

"He's gone!" Roll gasped. "Shattered! Do you think-?" 

"That he's gone for good?" I shook my head, "I doubt it, he'll be back. And before I forget, welcome back Roll."

"I'm glad to be back!" The Navi announced. "I'm uploading to the Terminal now."

"Great job in there." Mega-Man's voice came through the air. "You really handled old Fishy well."

"Thanks Mega." Roll's voice returned, "But it was a team effort, you did a lot too."

"Don't relax yet." I jacked out of the computer, "In two days the matches resume, and we're still in the running!"

"Maylu." Lan's voice was dead serious, something very strange for him. "We've got to get Roll to SciLab now."

"Why?" I didn't see the connection, why would Roll be needed at SciLab?

"Because, she was in the Under-Net with Bass." The Op explained for me. "You know what Bass did to Mega-Man when he interfaced with him, he corrupted the Ultimate Program in his system, and you know what happened then."

"Bug Style." I remembered what the crazed, out of control Mega-Man Bug Style had done. "But Roll doesn't have an Ultimate Program, so what's there to worry about?"

"Don't you see?" Lan sounded upset. "The Style Change/Soul Unison are the Ultimate Program, the Ultimate Program isn't something that has to be created, it can be gained. Since Roll now has the Style Change ability, she's got an Ultimate Program in her system, and Bass could have corrupted it. I don't think you want her to be put through Bug Style."

"I guess not." I admitted, "Alright, let's go to SciLab."

End Chapter.

_No, I'm not going to put Roll through Bug Style._

_Y. Y., Yes that was 'on topic' enough, the problem was that my reviews were turning into a chat room over this Roll/BeastMan thing. I was willing to let it slide, but it reached the point where I just had to put a stop to it because it was making it look like this story contained a Roll/BeastMan. As toward whom Bass was after, I'm not telling yet, but you will find out, because he will return.... _

Next: Roll vs. Proto-Man, plus the usual joke.

Next Update: Friday!


	8. Midnight Hour

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_V & P, 'Fishy' was a pun,, (you know, 'Bass' is also a fish). I'm working on your StarMan, if I can ever get this third one to come together, I'll give him a role. I've got the idea, and I think it's pretty good, but I can't get it developed... Let me tell you, trying to do a DBD fic, which's not about a tournament, is maddening._

_S. Rain; about the advances, I'm way ahead of you... And relax, I'm running out of hair jokes, and I haven't come up with any good one's lately so I may run out (unlikely, but it's a possibility)._

_Y. Y., STOP READING MY MIND!_

_Before you ask, Teddy-Man is sort of like a giant teddy bear._

Begin Chapter.

"At least we don't have to worry about that Bug Style thing." I commented as I waited for our next match to start. Right now Lan was busy beating the stuffing out of 'Teddy-Man', and when he was done, it would be Chaud and me in the arena. "I just hope we can beat Chaud again. We've got to win this match for the Hospital."

"We've rebuilt the folder we're using." Roll's voice came to me, "And designed it with a few tricks just for him, so it shouldn't be that much of a problem."

I paused as Lan started downloading Mini Boomers, when he was finished I said: "I know, but last time we barely squeezed out a victory. And Chaud's had a lot more time to study our moves, there's no telling what he's learned. But if we get past him, then there's one more round before the finals and you know what that means."

"I do." I could recognize the hesitation in her voice. "It'll be you and me, against Lan and Mega-Man..."

"And with that move, Teddy-Man has bit the dust!" Ribbita roared into her microphone. "Battler's please leave the station, and up next, it's the Tag Team Tournament all over again, as Maylu Sakurai and Roll take on Chaud Blaze and Proto-Man!"

I headed down to the arena, and felt this odd sense of déjà vu.

"Good luck," Lan's voice came to me, "I have a feeling we'll be meeting in the finals."

"I know." I nodded for him as I kept walking. "See you there."

"And Jack In now!" The announcer shouted.

"Jack in, Proto-Man, Power Up!" 

"Jack in, Roll, Power up!"

"I've got the perfect strategy to beat you." Chaud informed me. "So watch out."

"We're ready." I grinned.

"BATTLE START!" 

"Hurry, Crossfire Battle Chip in, Download!" I slammed the chip into my terminal. "Get in a quick shot!"

"I wasn't fast enough." Roll informed me as I heard her blast go wild, "Proto's already on the move!"

"Remember don't let him get too close," I ready another chip, "Chaud's folder is filled with swords, so stay away from him and we'll be alright."

"I remember." I heard my Navi vault around the arena, and Proto-Man slashing like mad trying to nail her. Roll was pretty fast, but I knew that sooner of later she'd tire out.

"Nice idea," Chaud's voice came to me, "Too bad it won't work, Area Steal, Battle Chip in, Download."

"Watch it!" I fumbled through my chips, where was that Pop Up? There it was! I grabbed the cartridge and jammed it into the gate. "Pop-"

"Ugh!" Roll cut me off; Proto-Man had beaten us to the punch. I heard a loud thud as she hit the ground, so much for our early advantage.

"Now, Long Sword, Download!" Chaud shouted.

"Pop Up!" I tried again. "Download!"

"Like I'm falling for that old trick again." My opponent chuckled, "No blind mode this time... Hero Sword Download!"

"I'm on it." The Raider's voice came to me, just before I heard a slight rustle. I recognized that sound instantly, it was the Proto Spin, where Proto-Man became nothing more than a spinning red blur, and his blades sliced through the air with incredible speed, on top of all that, he was nearly invincible while he was spinning. Sooner or later he'd have to clobber Roll, it was just a matter of time...

"AAHH!" I heard the Raider connect with Roll; this was not going well.

"Hang on!" I sent her another chip, "Cyber Sword, Download!"

"Take this!" I heard the two's blades clash and connect as they parried, fortunately, Roll was holding her own.

"If only we could distract Proto-Man somehow." I thought silently, he was creaming us right now, and if we didn't do something soon, it would be too late. "Come on, Maylu, think! There's got to be a way..."

"Let me know when he gets close." I instructed as I felt over my folder, I was beginning to form another plan.

"NOW!" Roll shouted.

"Body-Double, Battle Chip in, Download!"

I heard Proto-Man slash through something.

"Get ready..." I held the next chip over my Terminal. "It's time for a style change."

"Now, Fire Sword, Download!" Chaud barked.

"I see her," The raider replied, and I heard his quick footsteps. 

"I knew you'd expect us to go for Wood Shadow Style." I slammed two chips into the opening. "But guess what?"

"Aqua Shield!" Roll announced. "Crystal Globe defense!"

I heard our opponent's sword bounce off of the shield; he hadn't been able to pierce it. "Now use your Bubbler!" 

"Right." My friend agreed, just as I heard the sounds of her firing, "Hey, Proto, don't forget to wash your hair, and use conditioner. I don't want to have to cut it off again!"

"Just try it." Chaud muttered as his Navi got an impromptu bath. "We've strengthened his hair, it's never coming off again."

"Really? Wow." Roll's voice came to me. "But I've always wondered how he keeps it that long without getting dandruff."

"What!" Proto-Man's voice flooded the Network.

Roll clobbered him while he was in shock.

"Proto-Man snap out of it!" Chaud snapped.

I heard the Raider begin to fight back.

"Now!" I slotted in a Geyser chip.

"Geyser!" Mt Navi shouted, just before the sounds of an eruption came to me. "How did he do that? He just vanished!"

"It's an Area Steal!" I grabbed another chip, "Quick! Look out behind you! Variable Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Hey!" Roll shouted.

"What? What happened?" I heard a slight 'thud', and tried to puzzle out what had happened.

"They whacked off my hair!" My Navi informed me.

"Payback." There was a fair amount of satisfaction in Chaud's voice.

"THAT DOES IT! The gloves are off!" My Navi announced.

"We're ready for you." I heard Proto-Man mutter as he attacked.

"Cyber-Sword, Download!"

"Ugh!" I heard Roll block the attack, and swing in return, "He's gotten stronger!"

"Thanks," Chaud said at a barely audible level.

"Not so fast." I countered. "One good Full Synchro is all we need to beat you!"

"Did you say Full Synchro?" My opponent queried, I didn't like the tone of his voice. "Proto-Man?"

"I understand." The Raider's voice replied. "I'll have it for you in a moment..."

"Watch it!" I rifled through my folder, there had to be something that would help. "He's going to try for a Full Synchro, so... Leaf Shield, Download!"

I heard the defense form, and Proto-Man's attack connect with the barrier. I then listened as Roll bounded backwards, gaining some distance.

"Cannon, Download!" I sent the chip into the gate.

"Say cheese!" My Navi fired repeatedly.

I listened as the shots cancelled out without hitting anything; our opponent had dodged.

"Now, Wave Sword, Download!" Chaud instructed.

"I've got it." I heard the Raider unleash the sword's power.

"Where'd that come from?" I heard Roll fire again, then an explosion sounded. She'd been hit.

"Hurry attack again!" Chaud barked.

Then a groan from Proto-Man grabbed my attention; we'd nailed him.

"Full Synchro!" Roll shouted. "I countered his shot. I- oh no. Proto-Man's gone Full Synchro too!"

"That's right." Chaud's voice came to me. "This Netbattle just got a bit more interesting."

"And what a development!" Ribbita blared, "Proto-Man and Roll have both gone Full Synchro! This match is really heating up!"

"Now, let's end this." Chaud stated, "Program Advance!"

"Oh no." I rifled through my deck; I hadn't counted on Chaud pulling a Program Advance while in Full Synchro. I'd never even considered the fact that he might go Full Synchro, and the Desert Storm wouldn't stand up to a Dream Sword Advance. Things didn't look that good for us right now.

"Cyber Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" My Opponent shouted, "Wide Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Get ready!" I tensed; this was going to be the hardest thing we'd ever done.

"And Long Sword, Battle Chip in, Download. Program Advance:" 

"Life Force Sword." Proto-Man finished as he unleashed its power.

The Advance tore at us.

"Program Advance now!" I cried.

"Life Force Sword!" Roll unleashed the attack, and her own blast of energy roared through the air. 

"Where'd that come from?" My opponent actually sounded shocked as our advance cancelled his own.

"We rebuilt our folder for this battle." I explained, "And included the Dream Sword, just in case, and I'm glad we did."

"HAAA!" Roll and Proto-Man's Dream Swords crashed with unbelievable power, the combination of the Full Synchro and the Program Advance was incredible.

I listened to them dodge and parry, and I knew that the slightest mistake could be the last move we made.

Roll's blade sliced against her opponent's, and I heard energy charge the air as the two Advances met.

"I won't give up!" My Navi announced.

"Neither will I." The Raider agreed.

I strained to make out what was going on... the Advances and the raw energy in the air were nearly drowning out all of the other sounds. As a result I was having a hard time following the battle. 

"Come on, Roll." I muttered.

An explosion erupted from the computer, and the speakers squealed so loud that I had to throw my hands over my ears in an attempt to block the noise out.  
  
"I don't believe it!" Ribbita shouted.

The noise died away, and silence reigned, no one spoke and no sound offered me a clue as to what had happened.

"Roll?" I ventured into the air. 

"I'm... fine, just exhausted." She panted, "The Synchro's still there, I can feel it. But the Dream Swords just exploded. Proto-Man's still standing, and he's got to be as exhausted as I am... He's still in Synchro."

"Let's end this." Proto-Man gasped.

"Wave Sword download!" Chaud instructed.

"Crystal Globe!" I heard the attack bounce off of her, "That was it, Aqua Shield's gone... I've got enough energy left for one attack, let's make it count."

I felt my deck, there was only one move left, and it was risky. "You ready?"

"I am. Now that I've healed a little, let's roll!"

"I thought you hated that phrase." I slammed the chip home; it was the last sword in our folder. "Bamboo Sword, Download!"

"Alright, Let's do this!" I heard Roll take off running.

"Long Sword, Battle Chip in, Download." Chaud's voice came to me.

The two battlers closed in on each other, and slashed.

_**Proto-Man Logging Out.**_

"YES!" Roll and I shouted in unison, "We did it!"

"And Maylu and Roll have done it once again!" Ribbita shouted at the top of her lungs. "So it's on to the next round, Lan Hikari vs. Peter Pike! Followed by Maylu Sakurai against Dirk Ruble!"

End Chapter.

Next: STOP, THIEF! 

Next update: Tuesday.


	9. Midnight Hour Pt 2

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_L. Wulf, you'll find out about Wacko-Man very soon._

_Jill, we jumped past the scanning process at SciLab and got right back to business._

_C. S. Omega, I know that you're into the mindless insanity stuff, but you can't put Bass into Bug Style, because he's already in Bug Style! And about the only thing you bugged there is my review board..._

_S. Rain, just goes to show you how strong they've become if they can defeat Chaud like that. Lan vs. Maylu? (You guys are going to kill me for that ending) see below._

_WARNING! I have now changed the ending to this fic so that it contains a huge reference to Axess. I don't really think that there's a spoiler there outside of Cross-Fusion, but just so you know, the chapter after the Lan vs. Maylu match goes off into Axess territory. Sort of..._

Begin Chapter. 

"And now it's Maylu Sakurai and Roll, against Dirk Ruble and... Thief?"

"I've waited a long time for this." A familiar deep voice cut into my thought, causing me to miss the P.E.T. connection.

"You!" I exclaimed. "You're the guy that tried to rob me! And sent Roll to the Under-Net." 

"Right, you got my cousin in deep trouble, and now I'm here to shut you down." Dirk told me.

"Cousin?" I tried to make sense of his words as I clipped my connection wire in its place.

"Yeah, Roy Modem." My Opponent continued.

"What?" Was Roy going to hound me no matter what happened? The guy was a major creep. And about as bright as a burned out light bulb, during one of his schemes to get Lan, he'd hit me instead, and taken away my sight. Now, I had to deal with his, apparently egotistical, cousin. "Then get ready, Roll's going to pound Thief into logging out." 

"Not likely." Dirk sounded slightly pleased.

"Battle Start!" 

"Let's make this fast!" I didn't want to waste any time on this nutcase. "Crossfire, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Oh, I'm so scared." Dirk whispered. "Barrier, Download. Spreader, Download!"

"Look out!"

"I see it!" I heard Roll bound backward and the Spreader's shot explode without hitting anything.

"Aqua Tower, Download!" I sent the chip home.

"Cool it!" I listened to my friend unleash the attack.

"With pleasure, Mettaur Guard! Battle Chip in, Download!" Dirk snapped.

"Mettaur!" Thief announced.

I heard the little hard hats pop up and destroy the tower, before vanishing themselves. 

"Let's kick things up a notch." I placed another chip in the gate. "Ring Unison!"

"Right, that'll do." My Navi activated the Unison, and gain Ring's appearance and abilities. "Ring Arrow!"

"Crossfire!" Dirk demanded. "Right, Fire!" His Navi sent his shot through the air. I heard Roll's arrow shatter, and then the Crossfire slam into her. 

"Roll!" I knew what the problem was, I was too angry at Dirk to think straight, if we were going to win this round, I had to calm down, and clear my mind. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I heard her pant, "I'll live, but the Unison's gone, we've got to get control to battle this soon." 

"Now," I tried to clear away all of my scattered thoughts, "Let's do this, Piranha Virus, Download!"

"Not so fast!" Dirk shouted, "Thief, use your special ability!"

"Yes sir." The Navi's voice said. 

"What?" Roll sounded shocked, "The- it's gone! The Virus didn't form- it's over there next to Thief!"

"Right, true to his name, Thief can steal any Battle Chip that you download. So now, that Piranha of yours is working for me!"

"Roll, look out!"

"Piranha Virus." Her opponent stated. "Attack!"

"Hold on!" I jammed another chip into the Terminal. "Area Steal."

"Thanks!" I heard Roll warp out of harm's way, and reappear safe and sound. "He must only be able to steal one chip at a time. Now, Roll Slash!"

I heard the pink Navi use the attack, but with no result, Thief had dodged.

"Now, let's wrap this up!" Dirk shouted. "Lockon, Quadruple Download!" 

"I've got you covered!" I grabbed a chip as I listened to the machine guns appear and target my Navi, "Barrier Download!"

"Thief," My opponent snapped, "Don't you dare loose this Netbattle!"

"Yes sir." The Navi said in monotone. "Barrier stolen."

"NO!" I frantically tried to grab another chip, then it hit me, and we could undo Thief's attack! I pounded the button as hard as I could. "He wants to play that way? Fine! Ready Roll?"

"Of course I am, Roll Control!" I heard several small 'pings' as Roll fired at the Lockons. "Now, attack that Thief!"

"BARRIER!" The Navi used his stolen chip in the nick of time, I never heard the shots connect with him.

"That does it!" Dirk sounded enraged, "Thief, you've failed me for the last time! I want you to execute Plan A1 now!"

"But sir." Thief sounded desperate, "it wasn't-"

"Just do it!" My opponent shouted at his Navi.

"Is he a jerk or what?" My Navi asked me, "treating his Navi like that, it makes me glad that I've got you for my operator." 

"I'm glad to have you as my Navi." I agreed, "you're right, he needs to lighten up."

"NOW!" My opponent barked.

"Yes sir." The Navi reluctantly agreed. "Awaiting chip."

"Area Steal Download!" Dirk cried out.

"Be careful!" I called to my friend. "We don't know where he'll appear!" 

"I've got my eyes open." Roll replied, "hey!"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Thief jumped me from behind!" My Navi gasped, "he's got me pinned in a bear hug!" 

"Now, Thief," Dirk ordered, "initiate overload!"

"Overload!" I repeated in shock, "But he'll destroy himself!"

"And your little Navi'll go with him." The Battler stated, "You really are dense, Navi are just tools you use to win battles, they should be willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if it means that they have to delete themselves."

"But that's sick!" I gasped, "If you treat your Navi like a piece of garbage, then he'll act like it, you can't treat him like dirt and then expect him to do his best for you."

"I'm not impressed, look whose going to win."

"Roll, try to break free!" I shouted. 

"I am!" The Navi cried, "But he's too strong! And there's only a few seconds left before he overloads!"

"I won't let him do this to you!" I searched my folder: I just had to find that chip... There! I had it. "Barrier, Battle Chip in, Download... now!"

"Thief?"

"Stolen." The dejected Navi muttered, "five seconds left."

"MAYLU!"

"Got you covered!" I slammed a chip into my gate, "Since he can only steal one chip at a time, he can't take this one. Body Double, Battle Chip in, Download!" 

I heard Roll warp away, and a lifeless double take her place.

"NO!" Dirk screamed, "Don't overload!"

"Canceling." The Navi muttered, and then I heard him destroy the Body Double, bringing Roll back into play.

"I can't believe him!" My Navi exclaimed, "Why does he keep taking this?"

"I don't know." I shook my head, "It doesn't make- wait, do you feel that?" 

"I do..." The pink Navi admitted, "I think it's a Style Change about to activate... But I'm not sure what it is..."

"Then let's do it!" I hit the button, "Style Change now!"

I listened to her transform.

"Activate!" She shouted, "I've got red boots with a jewel of some kind set on a knee guard, and yellow leg, arm, and body armor, with a mustard line running from my crest to the shoulder pads that just appeared. I've gained red gloves with more jewels, and my helmet just turned red, with another blue gem set above my forehead... any ideas what Style this is?"

"Well, you can't have two styles with the same attributes." I thought aloud, "And it doesn't sound like a Gutz attribute Style, it may be a Team element, but the colors seem to indicate a Heat kind of style... I don't believe it, it's Heat Custom!"

"Custom?" Roll's voice was filled with shocked disbelief.

The Custom attribute was one of the most powerful elements ever, and the hardest to obtain. Lan had only activated the 'Aqua Custom' style with the help of the 'Extra Code' a line of code that gave a Navi great power, but weakened them to the extreme after a certain time. And here we had activated it without that code. The Custom Style allowed the user to activate Program Advances with only one chip, instead of the normally required three. 

"No way!" Dirk muttered, "We'll still finish you off!"

"Dream on, you delinquent." I snapped, "Spreader, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Thief!"

"Stolen, about to be used." The Navi replied.

"Thanks, I wanted you to do that." I slammed a different chip into the gate, "Shotgun, Download!"

"Wow," My Navi gasped, "Thanks to Custom style, we've downloaded one chip, but activated a Program Advance!"

I heard Thief fire his shot.

"Ultra Burst!" Roll shouted, A wave of energy tore across the arena, and I heard it demolish Thief's shot, and smash into the Navi.

"Don't you loose." Dirk snapped, "Crossfire Download!"

I listened as our opponent let loose, firing rapidly.

"Boy, your aim is lousy." My Navi quipped as she evaded the blast.

"Now, Shotgun 5, Battle Chip in, Download!" I sent another chip home.

"Oh yeah, Mega Burst!" Roll shouted, just before the sounds of another blast of energy poured out of the computer.

_**Thief Logging Out.**_

"No way!" Dirk wheezed, "impossible! I lost to her!"

"Live with it." I jacked Roll out and headed away, if I didn't get calmed down soon, there was no telling what I'd do to him.

"And tomorrow's match is the final round!" Ribbita shouted as I walked away, "Lan and Mega-Man, versus Roll and Maylu! This match is not to be missed!"

"YOU!" An all too familiar voice split the air.

Great, now Maddy was after me.

"You little brat! You messed up Wacko-Man!" The agent screamed. 

"What?" I couldn't figure her unintelligible ramblings out. "Is that why you forfeited the tournament?"

"Of course, you messed Wacko-Man's programming up! All he does is sit there going 'I love Roll, Roll really understand me because we've unisoned' or garbage like that. Now I've got to get his memory wiped out!"

Wacko-Man now had a crush on Roll? Oh, brother...

End Chapter.

Next: Roll vs. Mega-Man!

Next Update: Friday!


	10. Twilight

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_B. D. Yugi, I have just got to follow that up sometime..._

_S. Rain, Proto Unison's already been done and given to Mega-Man, so Roll'll never get it._

_Jill, there's always room for improvement._

Begin Chapter. 

"So are you ready for this, Lan?" I asked as we waited on the match to be announced.

"I still don't like fighting you." My friend told me, "But we're going to go out there and give it our best, don't think that just because you've beaten Chaud that we'll be easy prey!"

"I know you won't be." I nodded for his benefit, the expression didn't really mean that much to me anymore, "But no matter what happens, we'll stay friends right?"

"Right." Lan agreed. 

"Good luck, Maylu." Yai's voice came through the air. "And you too Lan."

"Go out there and beat each other up." Dex told us, "So that Gutz-Man can beat you both tomorrow."

"Not going to happen." Lan chuckled back.

"Do your best." Tory announced, "and accept what comes."

"We will." I heard Ribbita wrapping up; the match would start soon. "It's about to start, here we go."

"And now it's Lan and Mega-Man versus Maylu and Roll!" The announcer blared. "This has got to be the most ironic match ever, as these former teammates go head to head in order to win the Battle Expo!"

"Let's go." I headed for my connection terminal. "Good luck, Lan."

"Same as."

"Jack in now!" Ribbita shouted.

"Jack in, Mega-Man, Power Up!"

"Jack in, Roll, Power Up!" 

"You ready, Roll?" The Bomber asked.

"As ready as I can be."

BATTLE START! 

"Let's get things moving!" Lan cried out, "Mini Boomers, Battle Chip in, Download! Download! Download!"

I heard Mega-Man toss his Boomers through the air, and then Roll dodge them as they exploded. This continued for several minutes, and while they were doing that, I grabbed a chip and readied it.

"Now, Electro Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" My competitor shouted. "Area Steal, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Got you!" Mega-Man replied.

"Not quite," I slammed the chip into the terminal. "Body Double, Battle Chip in, Download! Variable Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!"

"How'd you do that?" Lan gasped as I heard Mega-Man block Roll's attack.

"Lan, we've watched each other Netbattle for years." I explained, "I know that move, you always use Mini Boomers to distract your opponents, right before you attack."

"Well, just remember that you're not the only one that can read people's moves." The brunette stated, "so get ready for this!"

The swordplay went on for several seconds, with neither Roll nor Mega-Man gaining an advantage. They continued to attack and parry, but didn't get anywhere.

"Now, Area Steal, Battle Chip in, Download!" Lan instructed, "Crossfire, Download!" 

"Watch it!" I yelled.

"I'm on it!" I heard Roll jump to the side and a laser rip through space before canceling out. 

"Gai Meteor, Battle Chip in, Download!" My opponent downloaded a chip.

We were trapped between a falling meteor and a Navi with a cannon. Where was there to go?

"Leaf Shield, Download!" I slotted in.

"Mega Blast!" I heard the Bomber fire, and his shot rip through the air.

"AH!" Roll's defense stopped the laser, but the Meteor crashed into her, and knocked her off of her feet.

"Now, Spreader, Battle Chip in, Download!" My competition announced. 

"Crossfire Download!" I sent the chip home. "Roll hurry!"

I heard my Navi scramble out of the Spreader's way, and then she fired her cannon, nailing her opponent.

"Not bad." Lan muttered, "how about we kick things up a notch?" 

"Fine with me." I replied.

"Style Change!" 

"Aqua Custom!" Mega-Man announced.

"Wood Shadow!" Roll cried out. 

"Spreader, Battle Chip in, Download!" Lan shouted.

"Cyber Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" I yelled. "Hyper Burst!" The Bomber fired his Program Advance. 

"Ha!" I heard my Navi vault around the blast, and swing her blade. "Nice try, Mega!"

The Blue Navi fired again, but Roll duplicated her maneuver, and scored another hit.

"Spreader 5, Download!"

"Ultra Burst!" The Bomber fired again, and caught Roll head on. 

I heard a thud as she was thrown backward to the ground, and her Style Change dissolve.

"Ugh," She panted, "I didn't see it coming, the Style Change's gone."

"Hurry, strike again!" Lan hollered.  
  
"Ultra Burst!" 

"We've got to try the new one! Shotgun, Crossfire, Spreader, Mega-Cannon Download!" I sent the chips home, "Program Advance!"

"Powered Cannon!" My Navi fought back.

"Hang in there." My opponent encouraged his Navi.

I listened as the two Advances crashed into each other, and it became a standstill, each one trying to overpower the other.

"Area Steal! Download!" Lan pulled the Bomber away from the scrimmage. 

I heard Roll's advance cancel out. We'd missed our target.

"Bamboo Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" I shouted. "His Style Change is gone." My pink friend reported as she deflected a laser form the Bomber's Mega Buster. 

Roll's footsteps quickened as she closed in on her target.

"Aqua Sword, Download!" The brunette announced.

The two stood there locked in battle, each one trying to out parry the other. This was going to be close.

"Don't hang back now." Roll commented, "We need to do our best more than ever. So let's do this!"

"Right." I nodded. "Fine with me." Lan agreed. 

"Soul Unison!"

"Turbo Unison!" I slammed a chip into my terminal.

"Search Unison-" My friend cut himself off, "TURBO? When did you get that?"

"A while back when Roll and I helped Kai out of a jam." I explained for him.

"TURBO!" Kai's voice echoed through the stadium. "GO TURBO!!"

"Now, Turbo Tires!" I heard Roll fire off a pair of speeding hot wheels. 

"Warp Gun!" I heard Mega-Man fire off several times in an effort to destroy the speeding projectiles. I think he managed to destroy one, but the other one nailed him.

"Hurry!" I instructed. 

"Right, Turbo Buster!" My Navi fired her cannon.

"This one I can stop!" The Bomber's voice came to me, "WARP GUN!"

A loud explosion ripped through the speakers, he had succeeded in stopping our attack.

"Scope Rifle!" Our Opponent cried as he fired in great rapidity.

"Turbo Tires!" Roll fired back.

The two attacks met and cancelled each other out.

"Hi-Cannon," Lan announced, "Battle Chip in, Download!"

"Double the firepower!" Mega-Man quipped.

That's when it hit me, the Navi was going to fire his Warp Gun and the Hi-Cannon at the same time, doubling the amount of work we'd have to do. 

"Nice try Lan." I slipped a disk into the device. "Mettaur Guards!"

"Mettaurs!" Roll repeated; I heard her summon the viruses, and use them to stop the blast from the Hi-Cannon, her tires took care of the Warp Gun's shot.

"I'm going in." My Navi announced. "Get ready Mega!"

"I'm set." The Unisoned Bomber announced. "Bring it on."

"I am!" Her footsteps told me that she was charging her opponent.

"Warp Gun!" The Bomber fired again.

I listened as Roll vaulted around the attack, and then her Buster went crazy, slapping the Bomber with rapid fire. 

"YEOW!" Mega-Man's voice came to me. "Now that hurts! Scope Rifle!"

Two explosions sounded.

"Our Unisons are gone." Roll panted.

"It all comes down to this." My friend muttered, "Let's go Mega-Man."

"Right, I'm good to go." The Bomber's footsteps took off.

"So am I!" Roll took off running.

So this was it, for all the Style Changes and Unisons, it came down to an old-fashioned sword fight. Well, if that was the way Lan wanted it, that was the way we'd play it.

"Cyber Sword, Battle Chip in, Download!" Lan and I said in Unison. I heard the two swords form, and waited for the results, and realized that I had been holding my breath because of the suspense.

"Please..."

The battler's weapons met with a clang.

Then everyone gasped in horror!

End Chapter.

_WHAT? Did you really think that I'd give it all to you in one sitting?_

Next: ????????

Next Update: Friday!


	11. Twilight Pt 2

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_S. F. O. Mega-Man, not a chance, there is a winner, and you'll see who soon enough, as soon as I'm done dragging these notes out as long as I possibly can._

_L. Wulf, sorry, Bass (as Pharaoh-Man) Interrupted the N-1 last time, so that won't be happening here..._

_S. Rain, I had to give Roll a moment of glory considering..._

_If you don't know what it is, I'll explain Cross-fusion for you in the next chapter._

Begin Chapter!

"Uh, Lan." Mega-Man mumbled. "Maylu, I-"Roll gasped. 

What happened next shocked everyone.

_**Mega-Man Logging Out.**_

_**Roll Logging Out.**_

"It's a tie?" We all shouted in disbelief.

"No, it's not a tie!" Ribbita roared into her microphone. "The judges are going to review, and determine which Navi was logged out first, the results will be posted as soon as possible." 

Now this was too much, we had to wait for the judges to decide who had won. I couldn't even bring myself to hope that...

"Maylu." Lan's voice came to me. "Whatever happens, I'm not going to let it affect us." 

"Thanks, I won't either." I replied.

"Same as." Mega-Man spoke up.

"I hear you." Roll agreed.

"AANNDD we have our winner!" Ribbita interrupted us. "Using slow motion footage and the records from our server, it was easy for the judges to determine a winner... after the sword attacks, Mega-Man-" 

Everyone in the audience gasped.

"Held out for half a second longer than Roll did. Our winner is Lan Hikari!"

The crowd burst into cheers.

I sighed and let the stress of the match fade away as I turned to leave, I was disappointed, but what was heaviest on my mind was the fact that now there was next to no hope for the Youth Hospital.

"Maylu, Good job."

"Thanks, Lan." I continued to move away, "I guess I'll talk to you later..."

"Maylu, wait!"

I wasn't mad at him; I just needed a few minutes to gain control of my emotions. So I just kept walking until Ribbita collared Lan for an interview.

* * *

"We blew it." I sat on my bed, thinking over the day's events, "We just blew it. And now the Youth Hospital's done for."

"Well, maybe someone else will step in." Roll tried to boost my spirits. "We were willing to, maybe it's not over yet."

"I hope not." I shook my head, it was at times like this when the dark world seemed so fitting; it matched my mood. "But I don't think that it's likely..."

"We tried." My Navi continued, "That's more than others have done."

"We did." I agreed, but our effort hadn't been enough. Was there anything different we could have done, something that might have changed the outcome? I didn't know, and I didn't like not knowing.

"Maylu, why don't- hey!"

"What is it?" I jerked upright.

"Someone's trying to open up a communication's link!" She replied, "And I can't stop it!" 

"But that's-"

"Impossible?" A familiar voice floated through the air, "nothing is, when you're Famous."

"You again?" I placed his voice, no one really knew who 'Mr. Famous' was; all we knew was that he was a brilliant Navi programmer. And the creator of the famed 'Extra Code', but he had shown up once or twice and given us a hand, especially when Mega-Man had just about lost himself to the 'Bug Style'. I had a suspicion that he was keeping in contact with Lan. "What do you want?"

Needless to say, I wasn't too thrilled about the fact that he could invade my P.E.T.

"I heard about your exploits in the recent tournaments." Famous started explaining. "And I thought that you'd want to know, the Youth Hospital's going to be attacked tonight. Furthermore, I thought that you'd want to help them, Lan's going to have his hands full on this one. But be warned, this is not your average hacking job, it's going to be more dangerous than anything you've ever faced.

"Try me." I kept playing the tough gal; this guy was annoying me for some reason. "What could be so bad about it?"

"Remember Dr. Hikari's Dimensional Converter?"

"You don't mean that thing that brought the Life Virus to the real world..."

"Yes, they're going to set one off inside of that building." Famous continued, "And there's going to be an additional danger as well. So, I'm sending you some chip data, but be warned, this is still highly experimental, and it's only going to work once."

"So what's it do?" I queried.

"Have you ever heard of Cross Fusion?"

End Chapter!

Next: Care to Cross-Fuse?

_I just couldn't bring myself to do it, sorry._

_Unfortunately, I suffered a virus attack on my computer. And as a result I lost the third installment to the DBD series. And since I had put off making a backup, I don't have it anymore. I'll try to rewrite the story, but I probably won't have it done by the time this one wraps up. Sorry._

_Turo Unison: Roll's boots turn red and gains yellow kneepads with her legs a slightly lighter shade of crimson. Her body armor changes to match the boots, but with a gray stripe running horizontally through her crest. Her gloves go mustard and match Turbo-Man's as shoulder pads appear that bear and uncanny resemblance to tires but with a red spoiler on the back of each. Her helmet turns red, and gains a clear visor, with two silver raised stripes (like Mega's) running halfway over the top before stopping._


	12. Dawn Pt 1

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_Maritta, I don't know, seeing as how there's only two chapters left in this one, I don't have much time to work... and I've already established that this is a Lan/Maylu(Meiru) but I'll see what I can do... (I've got an interesting idea here...)_

_Cross-Fusion, this is only possible when a Dimensional Area is in existence. To activate it, an Op must insert a 'Synchro Chip' and if the bond with his Navi is strong enough then the two will merge, allowing the Op to gain his Navi's appearance, but often with a few small changes. The Op and Navi can communicate by thought while merged, for clarity, conversation between a fused Op and Navi will be in Italicized text. You can use Battle Chips while in Cross-Fusion, but only if they are inserted before the Synchro chip. Lan is capable of using the Unisons while fused, but they drain his energy and leave him extremely weak, so that approach is rarely used (I know of only one instance so far). While the Cross-Fusion is denoted as 'R' in Japan, I have no idea what that means, so I will indicate a Cross-Fusion with the letters 'CF'._

_Mega-Man CF: (NOTE! These are the Cross-Fusions of Axess, NOT the Stream versions) Lan gets the standard black bodysuit, followed by the gloves and boots, but the squares on the gloves and boots are replaced with glowing inverted triangles. The lines running down his sides now only reach to his thighs before stopping and running around his legs horizontally. He gets some light blue lines running through the crest across his chest, and the blue stripes going over the top of Mega's helmet are now raised into small fins._

_  
Proto-Man CF. Chaud gains Proto-Man's fancy black and purple suit, along with the red gloves, the red boots now run up past his knees to his thighs (why? I don't get the point). He now has some gold and yellow trim across the top of his chest armor, and the visor on the helmet is more transparent. And that silver hair appears as well._

Begin Chapter.

"We're running out of time!" I ran down the Hospital corridors, hoping that I wouldn't run into anyone. According to Famous, the Converter would activate in just a few minutes, and we had to get to the basement and shut it down. Fast.

"You're almost there!" Roll shouted. 

"Where's that door?" I ran my hand along the wall and I kept moving, the Converter was supposed to be in the basement, and I was desperately trying to find a way down there.

"THERE!" My Navi shouted, "About four feet away, right hand side, and it's wide open!" "Then they're already here." I found the opening. Here it was, now, all we had to do was to get down there and stop the converter from activating. 

If only it was that easy.

Just as I began to step down the stairway that would take us to the basement, a strong arm wrapped itself around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides.

"Let me go!" I shouted, this was not good, not good at all. 

"I've found you at last," A slightly metallic voice came to me, I knew I'd heard it before, but where?

"What do you want?" I felt around with my foot, trying to find my captor's leg. If I could locate it, then there was a chance I could break free.

"Your Navi, she knows Mega-Man's secret." That voice said.

"What? BASS!" I recognized that voice, it was the voice of 'Kid Grave', the robotic decoy that Wily had used to distract everyone from the true head of 'Grave'. As far as we knew, Bass had seized control of the robot, and used it to travel the physical world, as well as the digital one. "How did- why do you want Roll?" 

"There is something different about Mega-Man's Ultimate Program." The Robot stated, "It was more powerful than Grave's and mine put together, I want to know why."

"And you think Roll knows why?" Where was the guy's ankle? Then it hit me; Bass was inside of a robot, kicking him in the leg wouldn't accomplish anything because he wouldn't feel it. I was in deep trouble.

"Her program must be just as strong as his is." My adversary continued, "for they were gained in the same manner."

I felt a hand lifting my terminal out of its pouch. I didn't care what happened, this Navi was NOT getting his hands on Roll, and there was only one way to keep him from succeeding. I took a deep breath and got ready.

I lunged forward as hard as I could, pulling Bass with me. 

The robot lost his balance amd his grip faded away as he tumbled headfirst down the stairs.

"Maylu? Are you alright?" Roll's voice came to me. 

"I think so." I got to my feet, "What about Bass?"

"It looks like he got it worse than you did." My Navi explained, as I headed down the stairs, "He's not moving."

"That's nice to know." I steadied myself, and got ready to find that Dimensional Converter. But as it turned out, I didn't have to go looking for it.

"MAYLU?!" Lan's voice shot through the air. "What are you doing here? That Converter's going to go off any moment!"

"That's why I'm here." I took a step forward. "You're going to need help."

"No offense." Chaud's voice drifted through the air, "But I don't see any way that you can help us. The Dimensional Area's not like fighting in the Internet, the Navi come to our world. And that means-"

"I understand," I tried to explain the situation, "But I've got- Do you feel that?"

"The energy? Yeah, it's activating." Lan stated, "Maylu, don't be stubborn, get out of here NOW!"

"Lan, I-"

"Well, well, three Ops with one stone." A strange voice came through the air.

"Dirk." Chaud snapped, "Who are you working for?" 

"Hmm? Oh, that's none of your business." The renegade replied, "I'm just a field tester, doing some preliminary tests for the boss. Once he's sure that the stuff works, you're going to be in a huge mess, those who oppose Nebula will be removed."

"Nebula? So that's their name." Our soft spoken ally muttered, "Dirk, I'm giving you one last chance to save yourself, deactivate this Dimensional Area now!"

"Nah, I'm going to destroy you instead." Dirk snapped, "Cross-Fusion now!"

"Wait!" Lan shouted.

A muffled explosion sounded, and then I heard Dirk groan.

"He didn't have a bond with his Navi." Lan's voice was low. "The Fusion backfired. Badly."

"But mine didn't!" A new voice shouted.

"Who are you?" Lan demanded.

"My name is unimportant. But for now, you may call me Dark-Man." The Navi stated. "Prepare for deletion!" 

"He's one strange Navi." My Navi sounded puzzled; "His black gloves and boots are bulged in the center, he's got chest armor, and a gray bodysuit."

"I don't think so." The brunette snapped, "Ready Chaud? Let's give these things a workout."

"With pleasure," The bi-colored haired Op replied.

"Synchro Chip in, Download!"

"It looks like the chips worked." Roll informed me. "Mega-Man and Proto-Man have merged with their respective Net Ops."

"Then it's our turn." I pulled out the chip that Famous had sent us. "Let's do this Roll."

"Maylu, Get out of here now!" Lan's voice snapped. "Roll, talk her out of this!"

"Dark Energy Attack!" Dark-Man bellowed.

I could feel the energy flooding the room, but I wasn't going to leave Lan and Chaud alone, not when I could help anyway.

"Mega Buster!" Mega-Man CF cried.

"Sonic Boom!" Proto-Man CF shouted.

Their attacks exploded, and I heard the energy crash into them.

A split second later, I was grabbed by a strong force, and thrown backward into the far wall, adding another item to my list of bruises. "Oh, so that's what it feels like." I got to my feet, then I gasped in panic; I had dropped the Synchro Chip in the attack! "Oh no, Roll, do you see the chip anywhere?!" 

"You dropped it?" Roll shouted back.

"If I had it, I wouldn't be asking if you could see it would I?" I felt along the ground, where was the thing? If we didn't find it soon... "Energy Buster!" Dark-Man shouted. 

I heard the attack explode, and the idle part of my mind guessed that he had missed. But the majority of my concentration was focused on finding that cartridge. Without it, I couldn't help Lan or Chaud at all.

"Cyber-Sword!" Mega-Man CF shouted. "Uh, the sword didn't form!" Mega-Man CF's voice cried out. "I don't get it, Dad said that we should be able to use chips without an Operator, but we can't activate them!" 

"Let me try." Proto-Man CF's voice said, "Wide Sword! What?"

"You foolish humans." Dark-Man chuckled to himself, "You never think! In Cross Fusion, you can use Battle Chips, but only if they're slotted in before you transform. Now, Dark Energy Blast!"

"Uh oh," I stopped searching and tried to figure out a way to dodge this, I didn't want to repeat the experience. "I see it!" Roll shouted. 

"Mega Buster!" Mega-Man CF shouted, I heard his blaster fire repeatedly, and several small explosions sound, he had stopped Dark-Man's attack. "Maylu, get out of here now! I can't protect you like this and stop him at the same time!"

"You should be worried about saving yourself, not her." Their opponent muttered, "Dark Berserk Attack!" "Maylu, you're in line." Roll whispered. "Thanks." I lunged forward, hands outstretched, trying to find the bit of plastic that could turn this battle around. I slid along the ground, and felt the cartridge enter my hand... "Dark Buster." Our Opponent stated. 

"Sonic Boom!" Proto-Man CF shouted, I heard his attack roar through space, and crash into something, he had bought us some time, I just hoped that we could use it...

"Ready?" I got to my feet, and remembering X's words, jammed a couple of chips into my P.E.T. 

"I was programmed ready!" Roll stated.

"Then here goes." I held the chip over my terminal. "Synchro Chip, in!"

I waited as the Cross-Fusion occurred, it was strange, I couldn't see what was happening, but I could, I don't know, sense what was going on... 

First, I gained Roll's black bodysuit, followed by her pink and red boots, but there was a small difference, the boots had a red gem set in the trim to serve as kneepads. After that was done, the pink gloves appeared, but with another pair of gems protecting my elbows, the vest appeared, but now it ran into a pink skirt, and finally the helmet, complete with Data Ribbons materialized, out of which flowed my now long red hair. The Cross-Fusion was complete.

"Another Op with Cross-Fusion?" Dark-Man shouted in disbelief.

"That's right!" I stated boldly, the 'sense' faded away and I was in the dark world once again.

_"Roll? Are you there?"_

_"I, I am..."_

"_Great, let's stop this guy, where is he?"_

_"Maylu, we, we have a problem..." Roll's voice was low, "I... can't see."_

End Chapter.

Next: Showdown!

Next Update: Tuesday


	13. Dawn Pt 2

_Author's Notes: I do not own MMBN or lay claim to any characters thereof._

_Jill, I don't think so, although the Navi and Op retain their separate identities when in CF, the Navi does bond with the Op, so I'm assuming that any 'handicap' one has will affect the other._

_By the way, did anyone get the ironic Dark-Man crossover from the original series?_

Begin Chapter.

_"What?" Neither Famous nor I had thought that this might happen. "You can't?" _

_"No, I can't," Roll replied, "I never dreamed that this is what your world was like..."_

"MOVE!" Mega-Man CF's voice yanked us out of our thoughts. Acting on instinct, I leapt to my right, and heard a laser shot rip past my head.

"Dark Energy Blast!" Dark-Man cried out.

I waited until I heard him unleash the attack, and then I hurdled over it, attempting to get close to Lan or Chaud, they would have to know about this.

"What's wrong?" Chaud's voice broke through the air; he evidently could see something I couldn't.

"Roll can't see while we're fused." I explained in a whisper, "we're fighting blind." 

"Don't let that stop you." Our ally said, "You've overcome every obstacle in your path, and come farther than I ever thought that you would, you can overcome this too, but only if you believe in yourself."

"Chaud." I said in his general direction, "thanks."

"Now, let's put a stop to this guy." The Netbattler turned back to the fight. 

"He's right Roll," I said to her, "We can do this, we'll just rely on our hearing, like I do all the time."

"_You're right," She replied, "Let's do this!"_

"Roll Arrow." I formed the bow, and listened as Lan and Chaud activated their weapons, then I put all of my focus on detecting our opponent.

"Foolish humans." The dark Navi muttered. "I'll destroy you!" "I don't think so!" I raised my weapon. "ROLL ARROW!" 

"Mega Buster!"

"Sonic Boom!"

I heard our shots crash through the air, and collide with something, hopefully Dark-Man.

"Very nice aim." Our opponent muttered, "But try this! Berserk Blast!"

I heard and sensed something tearing at me.

_"Left!" Roll screamed at me._

"You'll have to do better than that!" I headed her advice and threw myself to the left, avoiding the blast.

But the following sounds told me that he had been successful in hitting Lan and Chaud, knocking them out of the fight. If I didn't do something fast, then he'd be able to pummel them while they were down.

"_Bubbler!" My Navi activated the chip._

"Cool it!" I felt the weapon form, and then pointed it in his general direction. That done, I cut loose, firing away.

At first, I didn't think I'd hit him, but as I played the cannon around the area, I heard our attacker shout, and then the Bubbler's stream of water crashing into something.

I kept firing, dousing him with the liquid.

"Geyser!" 

I raised my free hand, and used the chip to unleash a powerful geyser behind my line of fire, after a few seconds I heard Dark-Man crash into the column of water. Now he was being attacked from the front and the rear.

"Nice job!" Mega-Man CF's voice came to me, "Mega Buster!"

I heard the Bomber's shot collide with it's target. 

"What? You think I'm going to miss the good part?" Proto-Man CF stated, "Sonic Boom!"

I was feeling confident; Dark-Man couldn't last long against this kind of assault. Could he?

"AREA STEAL!" The Navi shouted, just before I heard him warp away.

"Great." Mega-Man CF muttered, "Where's he going to come out at?"

_"Cyber Sword!"_

"_I hear you." I replied._

The weapon activated, and we all tensed just waiting for something to happen.

There was a slight hiss that came from behind me.

"HIIIAA!" I spun around; my sword extended, and caught something that had been sneaking up on me.

"Nice one!" The Bomber shouted, "Mega Buster!" 

I heard Lan's shot collide with Dark-Man, and then Chaud entered the fray.

"Sonic Boom!" The Op shouted as he unleashed the attack. "You're finished!" 

"Not quite, Barrier!" Our attacker shouted.

I jumped backward to gain some distance, I didn't want him getting too close, because there was no way I could hold my own in a sword fight.

"Now, Berserk Blast!" The renegade shouted.

"Not so fast!" The Red Raider retorted.

I heard him slash through space, evidently landing a hit on our opponent.

"Uh, this isn't fun anymore." Our adversary wheezed. "Mega Buster!" Lan shouted. "Heater!" 

"Let's heat things up." I raised my cannon, and fired at the vicinity that Dark-Man was in.

"It's time to end this!" Mega-Man CF shouted. "Ready guys?"

"I'm set." Chaud replied.  
  
_"So am I!"  
__  
"I here you. We've got one chip left, let's put it to good use."_

"Sonic Boom!" Proto-Man CF shouted.

"Mega-Buster!" Mega-Man announced. 

"And, Piranha Virus!" I joined them. "Attack!"

"NO!" Our opponent bellowed as the attacks crashed into him, "THIS CAN'T BE!" 

"We've beaten him, so the Dimensional Area's fading!" The Raider gasped. "Hurry! Drop out of Cross-Fusion!"

"Done." Lan's normal voice came through the air.

"Same as." Chaud replied.  
_  
"I guess this is it. Later, Roll."_

"_I'll be waiting..." She replied. "Deactivating Fusion."_

I felt the Fusion drop away, and the strange energy that had flooded the room fade out of existence.

"Now, let's find out who our opponent was." Chaud's voice came to me. Then I heard him gasp, "I never dreamed..."

"Who is it?" I waited on someone to clue me in.

"Sanderson," Lan explained, "The guy that made off with the Hospital's money." 

"So let me get this straight." I asked as Lan and I left the Youth Hospital. "Sanderson was working for this Nebula group, and so he embezzles the Hospital's money, and used some of it to research and test this dimensional doohickey...?"

"That's right." Lan replied.

"And from what we'll recover of the hospital's funds." Chaud broke into the conversation, "And from what this 'Anonymous Donor' gave them, they should be out of the red in no time."

"Someone made a donation?" I hadn't heard that bit of news. 

"They did, almost a million dollars," Chaud remarked, "the odd thing was that it was done anonymously..."

"Chaud, that was very nice of you." I thanked him.  
  
"Oh, sure, give HIM the credit." Lan's voice broke into the conversation.

"What?" I couldn't believe how wrong I had been. "You mean to tell me that you made the donation?"

"You aren't the only one that cares around here." My brunette friend replied. "I tried to tell you back at the tournament, but you ignored me after the match and then Ribbita nailed me for an interview... But anyway, we got the hospital out of that mess, and we stopped Nebula."

"What I want to know is," I continued, "Who or what is Nebula?"

"I wish I knew." My friend replied, "They're up to something, we just don't know what, but we'll figure it out, we always do."

"I know, there's not a lot that can stop you is there?" I grinned at him.

"Correction." I could hear the grin in Lan's voice; "There's not a lot that can stop us. You showed some fast thinking back there, so whatever happens, we can handle it!"

"Maylu." Chaud's voice came through the air, and it was all business. "Now that that's over with, we need to talk. Now."

"What's wrong?" I slowed to a stop, and waited for him to continue.

"What you did when the dimensional area went up." The Official muttered, "You put the entire mission on the line, and endangered yourself and the people in the hospital."

I stood there in stunned silence, this couldn't be happening.

"Plus, you made it difficult for me and Lan to put a stop to it." He continued.

So Chaud thought that I had blown it, that could mean I was in huge trouble.

"But," He didn't stop for an instant, "You came through, and I'm not sure that we could have stopped Dark-Man without you. So, I guess that what I'm trying to say is, good work, but don't be so stubborn next time." 

"Next time?" I took a moment for me to digest that phrase.

"That's right." The Op finished, "I'm sure we'll be seeing you in action again. And to be honest, I can't wait until we do." 

THE END!!


End file.
